The Sweetest Thing is Salt
by loveroffics
Summary: “It must hurt to be your friend’s salt. When you were going though your losing streak did, they call you? Write to you? Did they seem to care at all? When you were all alone during your very first underground duel where were they? hellkaiserxOC
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX.

Takes place right after Zane left the island and returned to the underground during the second seasons.

The Sweetest Thing is Salt

"Agggg…" the duelist screamed as he fell to the ground, the electrical shocks still encircling his body as he fell to the ground. Hell Kaiser smirked as he watched another victim fall after enduring his own unique brand of purgatory.

"Careful there Zane, if you continue at this pace there won't be anymore of us underground duelist left," a taunting voice called out to him. Zane turn to around to address the new comer with his own acidy response, but all intentions of offensive vanished when his eyes landed on the speaker.

"Well, it's good to see that your snide little attitude hasn't changed while I was away, Jo," he said as a smirk appeared on his lips. His eyes did a scan of the girl in front of him. She was an average sized girl at 5'4 ft, and slightly on the thin side. She had waist length ebony black hair that stood out even more against her pasty-ashen white skin, and the most scandalous jade green eyes that the Kaiser had ever seen. In her jet-black outfit, she was the prim example of an underground duelist. Jo had been brought into the underground by Shroud right around the same time that he had, and dumped Shroud out of her life right before he had. They weren't exactly what you would call friends, but they were the closest thing to a friend that ether of them had at the moment.

"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black I don't know what is," she replied with a little smirk of her own. "Did you find what you were looking for at that _little_ academy of yours?"

"I went there to test my new deck, not to _find _anything," Zane replied with an offensive retort.

"Surrrrre, Truesdale, whatever you say. I head you ended up dueling you old best friend, Atticus, and your little brother. So how did that going?"

"It went fine. I won didn't I?"

"I was refereeing to your feelings about the duels, not the duels themselves. I mean we both know that 'I have no feelings' act of your is just straight up bull."

"What feelings would I have about them? They were just duels; it's not like I care about whom they were with."

"I bet it hurt when the challenged you, like a knife to the heart. They probable spent the whole duel talking about how they wanted to save you from the 'darkness' right? Like now, all of a sudden they care. _Pffffft_."

"Just what is that suppose to mean? As you very well know I don't feel pain of any kind when I duel."

"Your friends remind me of this story my mother use to tell me when I was young," Jo said as a brief look of nostalgia washed over her, but in the blink of an eye the look of wistfulness, was once again replaced with a look of apathy.

"Ohhhh noooo, it can't be story time, I haven't had my milk and cookies yet," Zane said as pushed his lips into a fake little boy pout.

"Just zip your lip and listen would ya," Jo said annoyed.

"_Once along time ago a king had a beautiful daughter who he thought he loved more than anything else in the world. Therefore, one day he called her to him and asked her how much she loved him. The daughter replied that she loved her father as mush as salt. Now the king was outraged at this, he had expected her to say that she loved him as much as gold or jewels, but __salt __what kind of love was that! The king was so anger that he had his daughter thrown in the dungeon._

_Now the daughter was a very smart girl and formed a plan that not only would get her out of the dungeon, but would also show her father just how affectionate her words were. She asked the royal Chief to leave out salt when he cooked her father's food. The chief agreed and left out salt when he cooked that evening's meal. When the King tasted that night's meal, he was disgusted and asked the chief what was wrong with the food. The Chief replied that he had left out salt when he had made that evening's meal. At once the King realized just how important salt was and how warm, and adoring his daughter's words had been. He went at once to his daughter and told her that he too loved her as mush as salt."_

"That's a toughing story Jo," Zane said with a sneer as he rolled his eyes, "but just what has this story got to do with me?"

"It must hurt to be your friend's salt. When you were going though your losing streak did, they call you? Write to you? Did they seem to care at all? When you were all alone during your very first underground duel where were they? They didn't seem to care at all until they thought they had lost you to the darkness. You're just like salt to them. Sure people know about salt and put it on there food and stuff, but nobody really gives a damn about salt until it's gone. That is not how real friends should treat you."

Zane just turned and stared at her not knowing what to say as her words had hit a little to close to home for his liking, not that he would ever let anyone no that.

"That's why you're so mad. Nobody wants to be salt. And that's why you're putting all your hated and hurt into your dueling isn't it?"

"So what's wrong with being angry, and putting that angry into my dueling?" Zane asked aggravated.

"Absolutely nothing, I mean that's what dueling is really about isn't it? It is not about respecting your opponent and having fun. The most important thing about dueling is that it express what you're feeling, and if you feeling angry then that's how your dueling should be; dark and merciless. Your friends should realize that you just need to be angry right now."

"So let me guess I'm suppose to tell my friends why I'm angry, and forgive them and ask them to forgive me so we all can live happily ever after, right. And if I don't I'll end up regretting it my whole life and end up all alone." Zane taunted.

"Well I'm guessing that's what most people would say. They would say you need to let go of your anger before it destroys you."

"And what do you say?"

"Me," Jo asked, "I would say that people who say that are the same people that put presser on a wound to get it to stop bleeding, and watch as the cut slowly heals into a scab until all you're left with is a scar that you can pretended you don't see. But me, I like to let a gash bleed until it stops on its own, and if it doesn't then it just wasn't meant to. I let my fury and rage flow until it evaporates. Anger may destroy you if you don't let it go, but so does suppressing it. You can't be afraid of anger either; it's as much apart of being human as love is."

Zane glanced over at Jo and let out a little grunt. "So I'm in the underground because I'm salt, why are you here?"

"Because I have never even been close to being someone's salt, let alone something more since my mother died."

"So Jo," Zane asked intending to steer the conversion in another direction, "you up for a little duel?"

"Careful _Hell Kaiser_, after all '_hell_ have no wrath like a _woman_ scorned'."

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So there's my very first fanfic. I hope you like it. Please tell me if I should turn this into more than just a one shot. If you're going to leave a flame, I have just one rule. Tell me why you didn't like it and how I can improve it. Also, if you see any grammar mistakes please point them out so I can go back and edit them. I did look over this before I posted it and I used spell check, but some things still could have been missed. Thank you for reading!


	2. A man must eat a peck of salt with his f

I do not own Yu-gi -oh GX

A man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows her

Sparks flew as both Zane's and Jo's monsters flew at each other in their finally attack. Smoke filled the deserted underground arena and a look of pure pleasure could be seen on each of their faces as electric shocks engulfed their bodies and both life-point meters dropped down to zero.

"Well Zane," Jo smiled as she took off her electric coaler and bracelets and started putting them back in the case, "did that terminate your thirst for a duel?"

"For tonight anyway," Zane shrugged as he too took off his coaler and bracelets.

"_For tonight anyway," _Jo mocked, "geez' Truesdale you really are hardcore. Top student at duel and now one of the most feared underground duelists; haven't you ever heard of doing anything lightly? I bet you never even got a B once did you?"

"No, I got a B once, although it was a stuffed bubble bee that my grandfather gave my on the day I was born," Zane teased.

"Shut-up bubble boy," Jo said as she started fettling around in her pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "So how about we get out of here and grab some coffee or something?"

Zane, however, did not even hear her question as all he could concentrate on was the cigarette in her mouth. The small, petite role of paper that in the past had stolen someone very dear to his heart. Zane continued to start at the cigarette with such hatred that Jo hardly need the lighter to light the cigarette.

"Hello, Truesdale is any body home?" Jo asked as she waved her hand in front of his face.

"I didn't know you smoked," Zane faltered.

"Yeah, so what? It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal. Smoking is horrible for you," Zane snapped.

"So is just about everything else that is fun to do," Jo teased.

"I'm serious Jo; it's not anything to joke about. My grandfather died from smoke!" Zane barked.

"Oh," Jo murmured as she took the cigarette out of her mouth. "Were you two close or something?"

"Very close," Zane sighed as his face suddenly glazed over in memories. "After my father died in the accident we got really close. Syrus, was still really young at the time and mom, now as a single parent, was to busy to have much time to spend with me. He uses to take me to the beach and we would just sit and watch the waves and spend time together. About a year after dad, he died too. Syrus never really got to know either of them. I think that has a lot to do with why he was always so desperate to get my approval, and always took absolutely everything I said so seriously."

"That must have been hard," Jo, sighed. "To have someone look up to you so much, and have so much of what they think of themselves based on what you think. Talk about pressure."

Zane just turned and stared at her.

"What," Jo asked as she turned and stared back at him.

"Nothing, it's just most people always say how 'sad that must have been for Syrus never getting to no his dad' they don't really say anything about me."

"Well, when my mom died most people didn't really say anything to me either. See when people aren't expressive about their feelings, like we are, other people tend to forget that they have them. Only the ones who whine and throw a fit get their feelings considered. Then again, those are also the ones who what a lot of attention. I'm not expressive because I don't what a lot of attention, and most of the time, because of that, I'm seen as 'the big bad wolf, who has no feelings.' I'm guessing that it is pretty much the same way for you?"

"Two peas in a pod aren't we," Zane signed. "So how did your mom die, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jo signed and looked down. "She was a firefighter; she died trying to save some kids from a fire. The building was about to fall and everyone was told to stay back, but she couldn't just leave people, so she ran in there too."

"Well, that's pretty…._mmm_-noble of her," Zane rather stammered not sure of what to say.

**"**_**Noble,"**_Jo spat_, "__**Selfish is more like it! She had a kid at home who needed her and she was the only one I had! Did she even think for a minuet about what would happen to me if something happened to her? No! The only thing going thought her mind was-----**_

**"Jo!!!," **Zane shouted as he grabbed her shoulders and cut her off mind rant. There eyes meet and for the first time Zane could see just how mush pain Jo had in her soul. They continued to stare at each other and every-so-slowly, they started to lean into each other. Then both- realizing how not only what they were about to do, but their whole conversion as well, had been total out of character,-jerked away from each other.

"How vain and egocentric can you be, Jo?" Zane asked trying to restore their more usual bantering relationship. "I mean being mad at your mom for doing something that most would consider her a hero for; how childish are your?"

"Oh, I don't know about as childish as someone who throws a fight because his friends forgot him," Jo replied relived that the usual repartee atmosphere had returned. "Listen how about we go get that coffee and on the way I'll get some of those nicotine patches?"

"Whatever," Zane said as he stood up and started to walk towards town.

Jo stored up too, and after stepping on the cigarette that had fallen, forgotten, to the ground a while ago, raced up to Zane. She caught up to him quickly and both seemed to fall into a steady, even pace as they walked out into the moonlight.

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Well, here's the second chapter in The Sweetest Thing is Salt, I hope you like it. Thanks to Beautyheart18 for the review and I hope to get a few more.


	3. Wit is the salt of conversation, not the

I do not own Yu-gi -oh GX

Wit is the salt of conversation, not the coffee

"Toffee Coffee, Basso Espresso, Loco Coco, and The Coffee Break Cake….are we in a coffee house or have we stumbled into 'Who-ville'?" Zane asked, eyebrow cocked, as he scanned over the menu. "I mean I know this place is called _Bean Scene _but isn't all this rhyming pushing it a bit? Listen to this '_have the chocolate deluxe for just three bucks;' _how can you possible enjoy such a cheesy themed café'?"

"Hey, the coffee here is really good and every once in a while they have some really good poetry readings," Jo argued back.

"_Mmmmm, _poetry huh, who could have possible guessed that?" Zane sighed with a sarcastic eye roll.

"Ya, _poetry_, but the main reason I come here is because the sign over the register makes me laugh," Jo uttered as she pointed to the sign behind Zane's head.

"Oh," Zane inquired curiously, as he turned his head toured the register. His eyes did a quick scan of the coffee house. It was a quant, cozy little shop with a winter cabin living room feel to it. The walls were festooned with photographs and paintings, and many comfy leather chairs were spread through out the room. The contour was to the left side of the room and many scrumptious pastries were displayed behind the glass. Dangling, just above the register was a bright, cheery sign that read _'Friends don't let friends go to Starbucks'. _Zane snorted silently to himself and turned back to find Jo staring back at him with a satisfied smirk on her face indicating that she saw the humor the sign had brought him.

"Well I'm going to get the Steamy Creamy Cake and The Great Bambino Cappuccino," Jo decided as she put the menu down and walked over to the register to order her coffee. "Coming Truesdale?" Jo called over her shoulder.

"In a minute," Zane replied as he scanned the menu one last time. The doorbell jingled as a cool draft entered the café, indicating that someone, or a whole group, and just come in. Judging by the clattery noise, Zane concluded that a fairly large group must have come in, but what struck him as odd was that the group seemed to come to a dead silence as the door came to a shut.

"Big Brother," someone whispered.

Zane stopped dead in his tracks. _No, no, no, it cannot be him, _Zane thought. _It just can't be. I know I haven't been the friendliest guy lately, or ever for that matter, but there is just no way my karma can be this bad. If there is any fairness in the world, please let that not be Syrus!!! _Zane turned to face the person that whispered those dreaded words, praying with all his might that it wasn't, but knowing on the inside that it was indeed Syrus.

"Syrus," Zane replied, now starting face to face with the little brother that he had left in serious pain only a few weeks ago. _Not that I wasn't in pain when he completely ignored me after the whole Phoenix episode; of course he wasn't the only one, _Zane thought to himself as he scanned the group. They were all there, the lot of them. Atticus and Alexis where standing off to the left side of Syrus, where as, Chazz, Hassleberry, and Bastion were standing to his right. Jaden, the bright, sunny, naïve little child dressed in red, was stand right next to Syrus in the middle of the group. And he, Zane noticed, was the only one that seemed happy to see him, although the look did seem a little fake. All the others seemed to have an uncomfortable, awkward look about them except for Syrus. Syrus just looked like he was about to cry or puke, Zane really couldn't tell.

The minuets ticked on as the silence only continued. _Well, say something. _Zane told himself. _Don't just stand here like an idiot. Ohm gosh, this is the longest that anyone has ever not said anything. Just say something!!! It doesn't have to be clever, or even give an explanation for our last meeting; it just has to be __**Words**__!!! Any words will do!!!_

"I see our little duel didn't completely slaughter you," Zane sneered deciding that he would just keep up his malevolent, foul display in hopes that maybe his so-called _friends_ would finally be convinced that he was a lost cause and just leave him alone. Zane watched as the expressions on his _friends _faces changed from discomfit to looks of shock and disbelief, just as he hoped and planed they would. What he was not expecting was for Syrus to completely snap.

"What in the world is wrong with you Zane? What happened to my brother? The one who always spoke of respect and actually cared about people. This can't just be because of some duel, something else happened to you. Please just tell me what's wrong so I can help. I don't want to lose you; I don't want you to end up alone," Syrus screamed as tears appeared in his eyes.

"Did you ever consider the fact that maybe I don't what to be found, _especially_ by you; I like were I am," Zane said in a profound, earnest tone as his eyes narrowed. "For you information I like being alone; in fact I plan on ending up all alone. I have no need for friends and as for family…Well, family is nothing more than strangers that happen to be related to you."

"You can't really mean that," Syrus gasped as horror filled his eyes. He wasn't the only one either; the whole group had a look of aghast on their faces.

"I mean every word; I'm tired of being salt," Zane said remembering the analogy that Jo had used earlier.

"Salt?" Syrus asked with a question mark in his eyes.

"Just forget it," Zane snapped. "What are you people doing here anyway; shouldn't you be back at the academy?"

"New tournament," Jaden said while putting his arms around Syrus, who had started to shake as he was trying so hard not to cry.

"Yah," Atticus piped up, "you pair up into teams of two, and for the first part of the tournament each of the team members battles in individual duels and earns points for their team. Then the top eight teams move on to round two, where they compete in tag-team duels. The last duel is suppose to be--"

"Between the two members of the wining tag-team," Jo interrupted. "Since you were taking so long I ordered for you, it's called Black Bite of Night Coffee, you didn't peg my as a cream and sugar kind of guy. So are these the _old academy friends_?" She asked as she handed Zane a cup of steaming hot coffee, and turned to face the group. The group in turn stared back and, take in her black wardrobe and the duel disk on her arm, came to the obvious conclusion, that she too was an underground duelist.

"I suppose you could call them that," Zane signed as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I'm Atticus," Atticus said stepping up and taking Jo's hand, while flashing one of his signature cheesy grins. As the unofficial love guru of the group, Atticus saw it as his official duty to meddle in any possible love match for his buddy Zane. Maybe, just maybe a new love, or in Zane's case, first love could bring him back, even if it was with another underground duelist. After all, to negatives make a positive, right. Fingers crossed. "So may I know the name of the girl that's keeping Zane from being _alone"_-eyes smirk at Zane- "on this lovely night?"

"It's Jozette, but Jo for short. Atticus, huh, Zane has told me so much about you."

"Really."

"Yah, but he was wrong. You are as dumb as you look," Jo said with a glare. "Let's go Zane." Jo grabbed Zane's hand and pulled both of them out the door.

Atticus, along with the rest of the gang just stood and stared as the two underground duelist walked out of the coffee house.

"What just happened?" Chazz asked.

"Well, apparently according to Zane it seems that it takes two to be alone," Bastion said with guffaw.

"I have to get that girl away from Zane," Syrus stated with determination "she's obviously another _underground_ duelist and she's only getting Zane more lost. It may be the only chance to get my brother, _my real brother,_ back."

"Not so fast there little blue," Atticus said while stand with his arms crossed in the famous all-knowing Atticus stance, "sometime if you put two lost people together, they end up finding each other."

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Well, here is chapter three and I hope you all like the story. I would like to give a Big Thanks to Beautyheart18 my only reviewer so far (I actually started writing this after I got her second review.) Please leave a review and tell me if I should keep writing this story. Thanks for reading.

Oh, and by the way I have nothing against Starbucks, in fact I love their coffee. But I did see a sign that said that in a coffee shop that I went to with my grandmother and it made me laugh. So all the Starbucks lovers out there please don't throw cup of hot coffee at me.


	4. Salt of the Graveyard

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX

Salt of the graveyard

"Damn, I can't believe that it's true!" Jo screeched as she dragged Zane out the door and continued to pull him down the darkened street. She had a very tight grip on his wrist and did not seem to realize that she was digging her nails into his skin. (Not that Zane would ever tell her that she was hurting him; I mean what man would?)

"What's true?" Zane asked as he ever so subtly staggered Jo into a normal pace and watched as Jo subconsciously dropped his hand.

"That, that stupid song is true," Jo sighed as she took a sip of her coffee. "You know, '_It's a small world after all',_" She answered as she saw the question is Zane's eyes. "I mean what are the chances that out of all the people in the world we would run into your old friends?"

"Yah, what a small world," Zane grumbled as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Do you miss them?" Jo asked with her eyebrows raised.

"No!!!" Zane snapped earnestly as he snatched Jo's cake bag and started eating her pieces of cake. "It's just that…"

"It's like getting a wart removed," Jo finished for him.

Zane stopped eating and looked up at her with a slightly degusted look in his eyes. "Do you have to make your mysterious, little analogies-that I never full understand- so disgusting? I'm eating here you know."

"Yah, eating my cake," Jo snapped. "I mean seriously stuffing yourself with cake; what are you a hormonal teenage girl?"

"Just explain the wart thing would ya."

"What I mean is that even though everyone's happy when they get rid of a wart it can still be a painful experience."

"Hmmm," Zane grumbled as he thought on Jo's words. "Here," he said as he offered her back the cake.

"No thanks," Jo said as she stared at the half-eaten pieces of cake. "Let's just say you owe me a piece of cake."

Zane smirked as they both turned and walked off into the darkness sipping their coffee.

"A real luscious, delectable, lip-smacking piece of cake."

"Shut-up."

_Meanwhile back at the café'….._

"So let me get this straight, to get my brother out of the underground you're going to pair him up in the tag-team tournament with another underground duelist, in hopes that they will fall in love?" Syrus asked Atticus as he sipped his hot chocolate.

"You got it little blue," Atticus replied as he continued to fill out the entry form, "after-all love can conquer anything. Now let's see…First name: Zane, Last name: Truesdale, Age…"

"Atticus I don't think this is such a good idea. I mean Zane is not the kind of guy that likes to be fixed up; no matter what color his trench coat is," Alexis interpreted as he continued to fill out the form.

"Lexi, Lexi, Lexi," Atticus chimed, "trust me, when it comes to love I know what I'm talking about. I may have only just met her but I can already tell that Zane and Jo are destined to be together. They're like Romeo and Juliet."

"Romeo and Juliet ended up killing themselves," Bastion said as he sipped his hot English tea.

"Well that's because they didn't have me as their official secret cupid. Trust me if I had been around when they were alive that story would have ended very differently," Atticus hummed as he continued to fill out the entry forms.

"Yah, the two love birds would have killed themselves by scene one, soon followed by everyone else just to escape the stupid cupid," Alexis muttered as she started rubbing her head in frustration. Alexis loved her brother and all, but sometimes she just couldn't believe that they were related.

"Just let him have his fun Alexis," Bastion comminuted, "after all what's the harm? I mean we've tried everything else, perhaps this will work."

"Do you really think it has a possibility of working? That I could get my real brother back," Syrus asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Sure Sy," Jaden replied as he patted Syrus on the back. "I mean no one knows Zane as well as Atticus does."

"Yah, no one…including me," Syrus whispered to himself as he watched Atticus run out the door to drop off the entry forms, and returned to what he was thinking about. '_Family is nothing more than strangers that happen to be related to you'._ Those words kept replaying in Syrus's mind. _Is he right? _Syrus thought._ I know I love Zane, but do I really know him? I mean apart from Duel Monster I really don't know that much about him. What's his favorite color? What books does he like to read? What's his favorite food? Does he like Coke over Pepsi or Pepsi over Coke? I don't even know why he likes going to the docks so much. And what did he mean by 'I'm tired of being salt?' What does salt have to due with anything? Nobody really gives a care about salt until it's gone._ Syrus thought as he continued to stare at the door that Atticus had just gone though.

_Now back to the underground duelist…_

"So Fahrenheit 451 huh?" Jo asked as she and Zane continued to walk down the street neither of them really giving much thought to were they were going.

"Ya," Zane said, "it is my favorite book of all time. We had to read it over summer break back in 8th grade, but I really enjoyed it. I think it gives some interesting insight into the inner struggles a person can go though. So what is your favorite book?"

"I would have to say that it's a toss up between A Raisin in the Sun and A Dolls House's. I think they both give compelling opinions about what can happen in relationships if people are not honest with each other, and about how people often have one identity that they show to the world and another that they keep locked a way inside."

"So does everyone have a secret identity or just the people that hang out in The Batcave or the Fortress of Solitude?" Zane rather joked sort of asked.

"I think everyone keeps part of who they are a secret from everyone else, some just more so than others," Jo answered with a slight mysteries smirk, but the smirk quickly faded and Jo's face twisted into a mix of pure horror and rage as she saw were they had walked.

"So what secrets have you been keeping from me?" Zane asked with a laugh as he continued to walk forward passing the _Missing Pieces _graveyard on the right, but came to a stop when he saw that Jo had stopped walking. "Hey Jo what's with the hold up?"

"Let's turn around and walk the other way," Jo sputtered as she quickly turned around and began walking back the way they became.

"Walk another way? What are you talking about, your apartment is only two blocks away it will take an extra 30 minutes if we turn back and go the back way."

"Just shut-up Truesdale," Jo snapped as she continued to walk the other way.

"What is your problem?" Zane yelled back.

"You, you're my problem your unemotional robot!"

"Shut your mouth ice queen."

"Oh why don't you just go back to hell, Kaiser, and leave me the hell alone."

"Well, fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"FINE!!!" Jo screamed as she stormed down the road, leaving Zane standing all alone in front of the graveyard entrance.

"Women," Zane ranted as he turned and started walking in the opposite direction, "one minuet there all nice and talkative the next they've gone all psycho on your. Gezzzzs, you can't live with them and you can't live….No, that's it! You just can't live with them.

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Well, here's chapter four and I hoped you like it. Now there're many questions to be answered. Will Atticus's plan work? Will Zane and Jo make up? And why was Jo so freaked out about the graveyard? If any of you would like to make a guess please leave it in the review. I would also like to thank Kaiseress and Beautyheart18 my two wonderful reviews. I would also like to say that I did go back and do a few grammar corrections in my previous chapters. Thanks for reading and please live a review, I would really like to know what you guys think of the story, and maybe some ideas about what you would like to see. I really what to do some stuff with Zane and Syrus's relationship; I always thought that a lot more could be done with these two brothers relationship. Well, thanks again for reading.


	5. No person has the right to rain on your

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX or Romeo and Juliet

No person has the right to rain on your salt

_Zane's Dream_

_Zane found himself standing in a courtyard, hidden in a flourishing rose bush. The smell of the love flower filled his nostrils, and made his heart swell with tension as he strode over to the tower were his beloved awaited._

_"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and my beloved is the sun." Zane quoted, stealing a few lines from everyone favorite love story, as he scaled the balcony. _

_"O Adored, Adored! Wherefore art thou Adored?" The sweet voice of Zane's beloved called out the window to him._

_"I am here dear beloved," Zane called as he crawled over the window, and ambled over to his beloved to delivered love's first kiss. She stood in a moonlit corner of the tower chamber, in a blood red dress, with a black veil covering her face. He strode over to her and slowly lifted her veil to find……_

_Jo's Dream_

_Jo found herself in a chamber filled with mid-evil furniture, including a bed and dresser, based in moonlight. She was dressed in a blood red silk dress, with a black veil covering her face. The vile was dark enough to prevent her from seeing peoples faces, but not dark enough to keeper her from seeing everything. She turned to face the window where she knew her adored waited below._

_"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and my beloved is the sun," the voice of Jo's adored flowed though the pane._

_"O Adored, Adored! Wherefore art thou Adored?" Jo called beckoning her adored to her side. She glided over to the corner of the room, where the moonlight was brightest, to await the arms and kiss of her adored._

_"I am here dear beloved," her adored called to her as he ran over to her side. The black veil she wore kept her from seeing his face, but she knew that that dilemma would soon be resolved as he slowly lifted her veil, and she met his eyes only to find……_

_Dreams mixed together_

_"Jo!!!"_

_"Zane!!!"_

_"What are you doing here!? My beloved is supposed to be under this veil!"_

_"Well, my adored is supposed to be the one lifting my veil, and now you've gone and gotten your grapy hands all over it._

_"Shut-up ice queen!"_

_"You shut-up robot!"_

_"You know they say the more two people fight, the more they really care about each other," a third, very familiar, voice called over the bickering pair._

_"Atticus," they both asked with bugged out eyes as they stared at the romance loving surfer._

_"The one and only," the brunet answered._

_"Why are you dressed in a diaper and wings?" Jo asked with inquiry written all over her face._

_"Because, I'm cupid and I here to bring you two love birds together."_

_"What!!!" Jo screeched. "Me and Zane together! Are you crazy? Do you want the world to end?"_

_"No, what I want is for you two to fall in love with each other."_

_"Ya, well I want you in pants!" Zane bawled._

_"Well to bad," Atticus declared as he placed one of his heart shaped arrows in his bow and aimed it at the underground duelist. "Now brace yourselves, you're about to be filled with an amount of love and gooeyness that even the 60's would have considered a whopping."_

_"Now hold on a minute there," Zane said while backing a way._

_"Ya, think about what you're about to do," Jo cringed._

_"Fire," Atticus shouted as he let the arrow fly._

_End of Dreams_

"Ahhhhhh," Jo screamed as she tumbled out of bed. It took her a moment to realize that she had been awoken from her slumber by the phone. She reached up to answer the phone, unsure if she would answerer it like any normal person who received a call at 6:00am on a Saturday would or in a voice that was total grateful for being awoken from a very wired dream.

"Hello," she answered in a voice that came out in a sort of grateful growl.

"Yes, this is Anna, the manger of the Tag-Team Tournament, here to deliver a wake up call to all our contestants."

"Wait contestants? What in the world….

"Please, report to the downtown dueling dome no later than 7: 00am. Thank you and have a great day," the recording snapped off.

"Stupid recording," Jo muttered as she got up. "Why in the world would anyone think I'm in the Tag-Team Tournament?" Jo asked herself as she stared the coffee maker. "Well I guess the only way to find out is to go down there and kill the person responsible for it," Jo decided as she stepped into the shower. _I also have to kill that dream Atticus. _She thought as she stared to wash her hair. _I mean seriously, me and Zane a couple!!! Ha, what a ridicules idea, but would it be so ridicules? I mean Zane is H-O-T-T hot…Wait no, Zane and me is a stupid idea. I can't fall in love with him. I'm not the type of person who falls in love. Love and me is like, is like, is like ….chocolate and cheese. We just don't go together._

Jo stepped out of the shower, did her make-up, and changed into another of her many pitch-black outfits. _I guess I should also apologies to Zane, the stupid robot. After all, he has no idea why I can't cross in front that graveyard. _Jo thought as she stepped out of her door and headed off to the dueling dome.

_Meanwhile across town in Zane's apartment…._

"Atticus Eugene Rhodes I'm going to kill you," Zane shouted as he jerked out of bed. "What?" he asked as he looked around and realized he was still in bed. "Thank goodness, it was just a dream." _A stupid, disturbing dream, but a dream nonetheless, _Zane thought as he looked at the clock. _Well it's only 6:00am so I can go back to sleep for a few more hou…._

"Ring, Ring, Ring," the phone interrupted his thoughts.

_Who in the world would be calling at this hour,_ Zane thought as he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Yes, this is Anna, the manger of the Tag-Team Tournament, here to deliver a wake up call to all our contestants."

"Tag-Team Tournament? What are you tal….

"Please, report to the downtown dueling dome no later than 7: 00am. Thank you and have a great day," the recording interrupted his question.

"Irritating recordings," Zane muttered as he decided to get out of bed and go down to the dueling dome to find out what the hell was going on. _Who in the world would sign me up for the Tag-Team Tournament? I didn't even no about it until Atticus told me about…Wait a minute __**Atticus **__that infuriating, pain in the ass; I bet he had something to do with this. When I get down there and find him, I'm going to make him wish he were never born. Plus, I also have to get him back for that dream, _Zane thought as he climbed into the shower. _What was up with that dream? Me and Jo…that has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I mean Jo is beautiful and her green eyes are gorgeous…Wait hold it, do not go there Zane. Jo is Jo, the ice queen. And love is definitely not for me._ Zane contemplated as he headed out the door now fully dressed.

_Over at the Dueling Dome..._

"So you really think that Zane and Jo will show?" Hassleberry asked as he watched the door.

"Of course they will," Atticus nodded with confidence. "Zane has never been one to back a way from a challenge, and Jo doesn't look like the type to walk a way from a fight either."

"Are you sure?" Syrus asked unsure. "Zane has never really been one for tournaments."

"Have a little faith Sy," Jaden said as he patted his back, "I'm sure your brother will come. There is nothing to worry about."

"Thanks Jay," Syrus said as he smiled up at his best friend.

"Ya," Chazz said with a smirk, "the only thing we have to worry about is how we are going to keep Zane and Jo from killing Atticus when they find out he was the one that signed them up for this."

"Don't be ridicules Chazz," Atticus brushed off, "I'm way too sneaky for either of them to figure out that I was the one that…"

"Atticus Eugene Rhodes I'm going to kill you," Zane shouted for the second time that day as he spotted the group and stormed over to them. "Did you really think that I wouldn't figure out that you were the one behind this?"

"Behind what?" Atticus asked trying to look innocent and failing horrible. "I not the one who singed you and Jo up for the Tag-Team duel."

"Right and I'm the Easter bunny," Zane said with an eye roll and a sneer. "Really Atticus, how clueless do you think I am? This whole incident reeks of your meddling scent."

"Really," Atticus asked while smelling himself, "I thought I smelled like my pineapple shower gel?"

"Ohm Gosh, how in the world was I ever friends with you," Zane signed while rubbing his forehead. "Listen I don't know what you plan on accomplishing with this stupid plan- I mean seriously Jo and me partners in a Tag-Team- but you had better get out of here before Jo finds yo…"

"WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS THE PINEAPPLE SMELLING FREAK?" Jo shrieked. "Aha, there you are," she said as she spotted Atticus and the rest of the gang.

"You had better run," Zane hissed.

"Where do you get off," she shouted as she walked right up in to Atticus's face. "Why in the world did you sign me and Zane up as a team? I mean do you want the world to end? Do you?"

"Not particularly," Atticus said. "But how in the world did you figure out I was the one that signed you up? I can understand Zane figuring it out, but how did you?"

"I went to the information desk and asked Anna who I was paired with and who had dropped off the forms. After finding out that it was a brunette dressed in a Hawaiian shirt it wasn't hard to figure it out."

"While I guess you both are just to cleaver for me," Atticus said with a sneaky smile, "not that either of you could have gotten along long enough to actual win this contest."

"Atticus, you idiot, I'm the one that taught you about reveres physiology! Do you really think that Jo and I are going to fall for it?" Zane asked.

"I thought it was worth a try," Atticus signed. "Aww, come on Zane it will be fun. Do it for old time sake."

"Old time sake is over rated," Zane glared, "and if you think that we are going to play along with you little gam…"

"We'll play your game," Jo interpreted.

"What?" Zane stammered as his head shot around to start at his underground counterpart.

"Well it obvious that Atticus signed us up for this contest because he has some kind of plan, and it's better to walk in to a trap, knowing it's a trap, then to avoid it all together."

"I always thought it was better to avoid traps all together," Jaden questioned.

"Not always," Jo explained, "sometimes it's better to go into a trap and face it knowing it's a trap –or in this case a scheme-then to walk away from it only to have another trap formed to get you later."

"But he knows that we know," Zane argued.

"Yes, but we know that he knows that we know what we know," Jo snapped back.

"But he knows that we know that he knows that we know what we know!" Zane bickered back.

"Are you sure these two are soul mates," Chazz asked as the whole group sweat dropped as the underground duelist continued to care on with their spat "because they seem more like a pair of pro wrestles then duelist."

"Cupid you have got your work cut out for you," Alexis smirked.

"Ohm Gosh, the only reason you don't want to do this, you robot, is because I want you to!" Jo snapped.

"Wrong ice queen, I am going to do this because I actually think your right! If we don't do this now then Atticus will never leave us alone!" Zane screamed back.

"Well good!" Jo yelled back.

"And another thing, I'm tired of being mad about last night; I prefer our normal wired wise cracking relationship, so let's stop fighting right now!"

"Fine, fights over."

"Good."

"Good."

"So I'll meet you at the café for lunch, at noon. That should give us enough time to wipe the floor with a few duelists," Zane said.

"Sounds good, you can buy me that pieces of cake you own me." Jo agreed back.

"Alright, I'll see you there," Zane said as they both walked out of opposite ends of the dueling dome.

"What just happened?" Syrus asked as the whole group stared at the space the bickering couple had just been standing in.

"What just happened is that I just realized that Zane and Jo's relationship is going to be very kinky," Atticus said.

"What!" Syrus yelled as he stared at Atticus in horror.

"Don't worry little blue," Atticus said with a smile, "it will be good for you brother to be with a girl."

"Oh and one more thing," Jo said as she came back into the dome and marched up to Atticus. "This is for being responsible for my 6:00am wake up call," she shouted as she stomped on his foot with her heavy black boot. Jo then turned and marched once again out of the dome with a smirk on her face, as she saw and herd Atticus scream in pain over his hurt foot.

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Wow, this is the longest thing I have ever typed. I hope you guys liked reading it (it was kind of suppose to be a transition chapter that helped to start some things up). I would like to thank Kaiseress and Spirit of Water – Aqueria for reviewing chapter 4. I was really worried about how Jo was coming off as an OC. I tried really hard to make sure she wasn't a Mary Sue. Please tell me what you think of this chapter (reviews really help inspire me) and anything you would like to see happen. I'm open to all ideas. Thanks for reading.


	6. Adding Salt to a Wound

I don't own yu-gi-oh

Adding Salt to a Wound

Jo once again exited the dueling dome-the sounds of Atticus moaning in the background bring a smile to her face-and head out into the sin-written, polluted mound of concrete that, was also known as Domino City. The dirty smell of people and dirt meet her nostrils as her face met with the wind. The scent, although not pleasant, was indeed very familiar and filled Jo with the desire to duel. The desire to once again take control of fate itself and prove that she was in fact the one in control. With these thoughts in mind she turned-surrendering her hair to the wind- and head for the underground.

It didn't take her long to find and defeat a couple mindless slugs who dared to call themselves duelists. It wasn't hard for her to find opponents-as one of the only girls in the underground dueling ring, mindless drowns were drawn to her like flies to a flower, or in this case a Venus flytrap. Only a few seconds into any duel, and Jo made it quite clear that she was someone to be taken seriously. Not that she was a perfect duelist, she had her fair share of loses, some of which had left scares-real scares-but that was the risk of an underground duel, a risk that she quite enjoyed. Pushing herself to the limit, having control over some type of pain in her life, and trying to disprove her own mortally, was the fuel that filled Jo desires to belong in the underground, unlike Zane who just wanted to win. But then again, maybe Zane's desperate desirer to win came from an emotional source similar to her own. Actually, Jo was sure it did, and it was this fact that had first drawn her to the Cyber duelist.

Jo thought about the first time she had meet Zane, as she walked down the street to the café; it was right after she had first been taken to the underground. Something had happened when their eyes meet. Some sort of understanding between the two duelists that neither could understand. It had been this understanding that had caused them to activate their duel disks and bring out their decks. Jo smiled as she thought back to their first duel, she had been sure that she was going to lose. Not an under loses mind you, she knew she was going to be a worthy opponent, but it was very clear that his skills far surpassed her own. That was why it had shocked her when the duel had ended in a draw. At first, she thought that Zane had gone easy on her for some unknown reason, but as she got to know him that thought quickly evaporated. Zane would never go easy on anyone in a duel; it just wasn't his style. So why did their duels always end in draws? Jo know she should have lost to Zane, and Zane know it to, so why did fate seem to interfere? It was the need to answer this question that had made Zane and Jo come together, and for that, Jo was grateful. She would never tell the stupid robot, but she couldn't imagine life without him. She know Zane would beat her one day, but she was grateful that fate had brought about this stalemate long enough for them to get to know each other. They were permanent parts of each other's lives now; weather they liked it or not.

Jo saw the familiar doors of the Bean Scene and rushed to get inside as raindrops started to fall. Jo was one of those very select few that loved when it rained, so long as she was not the one in it. The rain had just started to really pour as she pulled open the doors and was instantly meet with a wave of comfort that came at seeing the familiar '_Friends don't let friends go to Starbucks' _sign, and a certain teal haired individual.

"Hey, Truesdale," she greeted as she seat down at the tiny breakfast-nock table and smiled as she spotted a piece of cake on the table. She hadn't been serious when she insisted that he replace the cake that he had eaten, but Zane was never one to leave debts _or threats_ unpaid. "That cake wouldn't be for me now would it?" Jo asked as she raised her eyebrows at Zane.

"No it's for the other girl I own a piece of cake," Zane said with an eye roll. "Of course it's for you." Zane smirked as he watched Jo seat down, he would never tell the ice queen to her face, but he really enjoyed her company and was glad that their fight last night had been resolved. Although, Zane stilled wonder what the whole thing had been about. _Why did she freak out so much about crossing in front of that graveyard?_ Zane thought to himself. _I've seen her cross in front of graveyards before, so it had to be something about that graveyard. She said her mother died, I wonder if that is where she's buried? I bet it is. _Zane thought to himself as started back up into Jo's eyes.

"I'm going to have the egg salad sandwich," Jo said as she placed her menu down. "What are you going to have?"

"Chicken salad sandwich," Zane replied quickly covering up his thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up the graveyard incident and have Jo bite his head off again. One thing that Zane had quickly learned about Jo was that she was not the kind of girl to piss off. Normally she was a pretty easy ongoing person with a good amount of sarcastic charm, but when someone was stupid enough to fire off her temper, they truly learned what it meant to be in hell. Zane smiled at this thought, as long as he wasn't the one on the resaving end, he thoroughly enjoyed watching meaningless maggots squirm under her wrath.

The rain started to pour down very heavily as the two dark clad duelist conversed about their duels earlier that day as the continued to enjoy their lunch. Between the two of them, they had already accumulated a large amount of points. One thing about underground duels that had helped them achieve this quick accumulation was that they were fast and intense. The two fully enjoyed telling each other about the details of their duels. Jo told Zane about how she had avoid a very near loss by using a move she had learned from watching one of his duels, and Zane shared his experience of brutally bumbling a few would-be duelist into the ground. Neither of them really paid attention to the darken clouds outside, or thought to take the flashing lightening as a sign of trouble. In fact, the first time either of them took notice of the storm was when Jaden and the rest of the Academy crew came rushing through the doors, drenching wet, and ran right up to their table.

"Where Syrus?" Jaden asked with concern written all over his face as he started at the two underground duelists.

_Back to when Jo had just walked out the door for the second time…_

"Ouch, ohhhh that really hurt," Atticus complained as he cradled his hurt foot. He know that signing Zane and Jo up for this contests was risky, but he never thought he would be put though actual physical pain. But then again the fact that Jo had actual done something to get back at him, proved-to Atticus anyway-that she was not the kind of person who allowed other people to push her around, and that was always a good thing in Atticus's book. Although now, he was going to have to rethink the whole 'wearing sandals thing;' he didn't think his poor feet could take any more abuse.

"Well you did kind of deserve it," Alexis said with a sight snicker. She knew her brother's heart was in the right place, but it was somewhat nice to see him surfer a little for his meddling. _Maybe, this will teach him to stay out of people's love lives, especially mine!! _She thought with a sigh.

"I going to pretended I didn't hear that," Atticus said with a fake little pout, which caused the everyone to break out in a quick little round of laughter, well almost everyone.

The smallest and quietest member of the crew was not laughing at all. The only thing that Syrus could think about was going after his brother. Syrus knew that Atticus meant well, but he wasn't too confident about this whole love plan. Therefore, the youngest of the Truesdale clan decide that he was going to go follow his brother into the underground arena and see just what was so addicting about these underground duels. After experiencing one first hand he just couldn't understand why Zane-or anyone for that matter-would purposely put themselves though that. Syrus said a quick goodbye to his friends after making plans to meet up with them for lunch and head out to trial Zane. He had only quietly told Jaden that he was going to follow his brother. Jaden had just smiled, said he understood and to be careful, and wished him luck.

It wasn't hard to spot him out among the crowd of people he meet on the street. In that striking black trench coat of his, Zane stuck out like a box of donates at a weight watcher meeting. Syrus decided that the best plan of action was to trial Zane from a few yards behind. Although he had to be careful, if Zane found out that, he was following him…he didn't even want to think about the kind of older brother torture that he would be put though. Zane had always liked his privacy, even from a very early age, and evading that privacy was pure suicide, but for now, that was a risk Syrus was willing to take.

Syrus had to run to keep up with Zane's long strides, but despite his small size, Syrus was doing a great job. He was able to keep up with Zane for a good 20 minutes, until Zane came to a stop in front of a run-down old building and stepped inside. Syrus waited for a few minutes before running up to the same building and pulling open the door. Syrus had expected to walk into some kind of chamber, but instead found himself in a staircase, a very old, scary looking staircase. Syrus had half a mind to turn around and run the other way, but he built up his courage had started down the stairs.

He continued to stride down the stairs until he came out in an underground stone camber. Syrus shuttered as he looked at his surroundings, the camber he came out in looked like an abandoned sewer. There were grate arches of stone that broke off in all directions, and a musty, mildewed odor filled his nose. The stonewalls were covered in a slimey, wet green moss that made Syrus's stomach turn. However, what really sent chills up Syrus spine was the random shrieks of pain followed by a merciless laughter that would seem to come from all directions. But what was even more bloodcurdling than the screams was how suddenly the cut off, as though the produce of the cry was eradicated. Wreathe the execution was permanent or not, Syrus really didn't want to know.

Syrus bite his lip as he realized that he had no idea which tunnel Zane had gone down. Fear instantly ran up and down Syrus body as he realized that if he wasn't careful he could become horrible lost in this marble labyrinth. Syrus closed his eye and listened vigilantly; relief swiftly washed over his body when he detected footsteps coming from the tunnel on the far left. _That has to be Zane, _Syrus thought as he turned and raced down the passageway, giving no consideration that when in a labyrinth a Minotaur could very well behind any corner.

Syrus followed the passageway down a few hundred feet at the least, until it came out into a sort of cavern. "Zane," Syrus called out as goose bumps arose on his arms, "are you here?"

"Now what would a minuscule, little infant like you be doing way down here in the underground?" A devilish voice hissed behind his ear as a huge shadow fell over him.

_Someone help me,_ was the last thought Syrus had, as he became another victim of the dueling gangland.

_Back at the Café'…_

"Why in the world would I know, or for that matter care, where Syrus is?" Zane asked as he glared at the red-coated duelist.

"You mean you haven't seen him," Jaden asked as an even more hopeless look appeared on his face.

"No I haven't," Zane snapped. "Why, should I have?"

"Yes," Jaden shouted desperately. "He wanted to find you, Zane, so he followed you after you left the dueling dome. We were suppose to meet for lunch a hour ago, but Syrus never showed up, and we haven't heard from him since. I think he must be in some kind of trouble, serious trouble."

"That little runt followed me," Zane annoyed as fury filled his face.

"Yes he followed you! Now can we get back to the fact that he may be in trouble!" Jaden sobbed as trepidation filled his face.

"_May be in trouble_," Zane laughed. "Oh, he most certainly is in _trouble_, Jaden."

"A shrimp like Syrus doesn't last long in the underground ring," Jo added on to Zane statement.

"Well the little runt had better grow a back bone down there, because I really don't have the time to go to a funeral any time soon," Zane said as he crossed his legs and folded his arms.

"Is that all you can say, Zane," Alexis asked as dread filled her face, "don't you even care that Syrus may need you right now?"

"Syrus got himself into this mess, now it's his job to get himself out." Zane muttered as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Can you at least tell us where we can find him?" Chazz asked the black clothed duelist.

Jo and Zane glanced out each and slightly debated weather or not to tell the others were the entrance to the dark arena was. It was an unwritten rule of the underground that, expect for the ones they brought in for prey, outsider were not welcome in the lightless haven. On the other hand, Syrus was Zane's brother and, where as Zane, didn't mind tormenting Syrus himself, he still had a problem when other people dared too. Syrus was his to agonize, and torture; as his older brother that was Zane's blood right. The two underground came to a silent conclusion.

"The entrance to the underground arenas is located at 666 Bloodlust Lane," Jo muttered.

"666, how cliché," Bastion whispered as the gang hurried out the door.

Jo glanced up at Zane and wonder what he was going to do. If any odd person off the street had looked at Zane's face, they wouldn't have been able to tell that the teal haired teenager was having a very deep inner struggle. But Jo was not any odd person; she noticed the dilated pupils and the way Zane had started to drum his finger on the table, signs that he clearly was having some kind of inner debate. "Don't do anything too rash, Truesdale."

Zane stood up and dropped some money on the table to pay for his half of the bill, and then pulled up his collar as he headed out into the storm.

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Well here is chapter 6; I hoped you all liked it. I would like to thank all my reviews, especially Acantha-chan who I thought left some really great advice. I tried to do what you said and have a little more writing and less dialogue, because in reality that's how I wanted my story to go. It just turned out to be easier said then done, so you guys have to tell me how I did. I also tried to make Zane a bit more 'hellish' as Kaiseress phrased it, because I thought she made a good point too. I also would like to say that I don't have a beta reader so if you guy see any grammar mistakes or anything else that needs to be fixed please tell me so I can fix it, because I will go back and fix it.

I also was really nervous about describing Jo's dueling skills, when it comes to OCs that can become a slipper slop. I wanted her to be a good duelist, a little better than average, but I don't want to turn her into a Mary-sue. Please tell me how I did and if I should go back and change it. I also wanted to make it quite clear that Zane and Jo tying in their duels was kind of suppose to be a destined fluke that brought them together (kind of like two halves of a whole; neither better than the other kind of thing). Please tell me how I did with that; I know it's kind of treading on thin ice with the whole Mary-sue thing, but I do plan on having Zane beat Jo near the end of the fic. I would also like to tell Kaiseress that Zane will stop being Hell Kaiser, but it will be more towards the end of the fic. Oh, and it want be 'boom' he's exactly how he was before, it will be more of an emotional and life changing kind of thing. Well, please review and thanks for reading!


	7. Worth ones salt

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX

Worth ones salt

Zane darted down the vacant alley oblivious to the icy, cold rain that continued to fall, devouring the city in its bleak, grim tears. As to why he was doing this, Zane had no idea! He had long since given up caring about what happened to his little brother, or at least he thought he had. _I had no problem challenging him to a hell duel back at the academy, so why am I going to save him now! _Zane shouted at himself, as he continued to follow the route to the underground. _Why do I care about what happens to him? I don't what to care about him, so why do I! _Zane cursed to himself as he succumbed to his inner need to _save_ his little brother, despite his unwillingness to actual admitted it to himself.

A wave of anticipation flooded over Zane, as his hand made contact with the door handle to the entrance of the dark arenas and he found himself climbing down the familiar staircase. However, the comforts and security that come with familiarity never washed over the Kaiser. All his precious descents into the underworld had been made as Hell Kaiser, with Zane Truesdale, if any of him actual remained, in the deepest, most locked away parts of his soul. But now that part of his soul, although still very locked away, had began to come alive again for the moment, and Zane, despite his longing to remain in the darkness, his sanctuary, was allowing that tiny bit of light to guide him; for now at least.

The stone labyrinth was full of nothing but twists and turns, but Zane had found himself in this zigzag maze so many times before, he knew the marble web like the back of his hand. As soon as his feet met the stone floor, he took off running down the tunnel on the far left, where the hardest and bloodiest of all the hell duels always took place, and knowing Syrus's poor luck, Zane was guessing that was where he had ended up. _Brainless little shrimp always getting himself into the most treacherous and dodgy situations, _Zane thought, _and he always either goes in half cocked or as spineless as a jellyfish. I can't believe that I related to such a pathetic weakling. God he is so much like…._

"Now I activate power bond," Syrus's voice interrupted Zane's inner thoughts.

Both relief and anger filled Zane as he came into the camber at the end of the tunnel. Relief that he and finally found his brother, anger that Syrus was dim enough to actual engage in an underground duel, anger that some other underground duelist would dare to even think about challenging his brother, and most of all absolute rage at himself for even giving a shit!!! Zane stared at Syrus opponent, Tanner Backer. Tanner a fellow dark duelist, was very well-known for torturing the opponents he defeated, but even more renowned for how he agonized the duelist that dared to defeat him. He would even take a souvenir. That was the thing that truly separated hell dueling from regular dueling. In regular dueling, there was a winner and there was a loser, that simple. In hell dueling, if you wanted to walk away from the duel, not only did you have to win, but you also had to make sure that the loser was on the ground. The use of electrical ornaments, and the other methods of dueling torture, weren't just for kicks, or to ease some sick desire for pain; you needed to use the shocks to subdue your opponent in the duel, so afterwards you wouldn't met the same fate. Leaving an opponent standing, especial one you had defeated, as people tended to be pissed when they lost, was pure suicide. Dark dueling was like shooting a lion; you had one shot to kill your foe, and if you missed, you were dead. Hell dueling was kill or be killed, and there was no chance in hell that Syrus could ever duel that way.

"This duel is over," Zane said as he stepped in between his brother and Tanner, deja-vu washing over him as he recalled doing something very similar years ago.

_Back to where we left Syrus last chapter…_

Syrus turned, goose bumps running up and down his arms, as he stared up at the attacker. Fear and dread swept over him as he met the dark duelist's eyes. He was a big, muscle clad guy, who would have made even Hassalberry seem tiny. But the most frightening thing about him were his eyes. His devilish, almost black eyes, eyes that liked pain and suffering, eyes that wanted blood, eyes that had sight there sights on Syrus. Unlike Zane and Jo who were dressed in all black, he was clothed in green camouflage pants, and although his shirt was black, he wore a brown hunting vest with the name Tanner Becker stamped over the pocket. The vest, Syrus noticed, was not all brown; there were lines of red spots that went across the chest. On closer inspection, Syrus realized with horror that they were red thumbprints.

"The price of dueling is blood, little one," Tanner said with a sneer as he drew his dueling disk. "I taught each and every one of them that," he said as he pointed to the red spots, "and now, now I'm going to teach you that lesson."

"That's disgusting," Syrus stuttered both sickened, and horrified. "Dueling is about having fun and showing respect. Not about adding another trophy to your collection."

"Is that so," Tanner hissed.

"Yeah," Syrus said as determination filled his soul, the same kind of determination that had made him challenge Zane back at school despite his fear, "and now I'm going to teach you that lesson." _If I can get though to this guy, then maybe it will give me some ideas about how to get though to Zane, _Syrus thought as he too drew out his duel disk.

The duel was quick and intense. Each duelist was throwing everything they had into the duel. Syrus was pushing himself harder then he ever had before. Wining this duel had become everything to him. He had somehow convinced himself that saving Zane depended on also winning this duel. If he could just defect one underground duelist and show him the true meaning of dueling, then it meet it was still possible to rescue Zane and recover his real older brother. He needed to win this duel; he _had_ to win this duel.

Syrus smiled as he drew his trump card power bond; with this card, he was going to win the duel. After his duel with Zane, Syrus had decided to keep power bond in his deck. In a way, it was like keeping a piece of his brother alive. A keepsake that he couldn't part with. _It's as if Zane, the real Zane, is telling me to go ahead and win this duel. _

"Now I activate power bond," Syrus said as hope and relief filled his soul, as he knew that this move was going to win him the duel. _I can do this, _Syrus said to himself, _I can win and I can save my brother._

But relief and hope quickly boiled out of his being as he heard Zane's voice shout out "This duel is over," and saw as his now blacked clad brother stepped in between the duel, just like he had done all those years ago.

_Back to Zane…_

"What in the world do you think you're doing _Truesdale_," Tanner hissed as frenzy radiated out of his eyes, "this is my _**victim!**_"

"That's _Hell Kaiser_ to you Tanner," Zane jeered as he stride up to meet the juvenile's eye, "and I'm telling you to back off."

Tanner flicked his eyes into an even deeper glare, trying to intimidate Zane into backing off, but it was to avail. There was something about Zane that made him different from the other opponents Tanner had faced. Zane wasn't challenged or unsettled by Tanner's almost black eyes or his bloody thumbprint fixation. In fact most of the time Zane just seemed annoyed by it. Like Tanner was just some insufficient, lacking little fly that was more of an irritation then a threat. That frustrated Tanner to no end and made him long to have Zane's thumbprint added to his collection. But right now, Zane didn't look annoyed, he looked livid; and where Tanner had no intension of showing it or backing down, a fuming Zane scared him to his core. Something was wrong with that guy, not that he could talk, but still there was just something that made him different.

"What's it to you _Kaiser_," Tanner mocked despite his inner fear, "me accumulation more victims for my collection is no business of yours."

"Zane I got a handle on this," Syrus said nervously coming up to the two underground duelists. "I mean I'm not just using the card, I'm playing it, aren't I?" Syrus asked as all the confidence he had been feeling early evaporated. It was as if once again he was in that playground where Zane had stopped his duel and told him he had been playing wrong. It was in that moment that Syrus had lost all his confidence, not only in dueling, but also in life. He now realized that Zane had only being trying to help him; teach him the right way to play so he wouldn't get into trouble later. Nevertheless, Syrus still felt like a disappointment. Even now with friends like Jaden, Syrus still felt that he needed to prove himself to his brother. _What am I doing wrong! _Syrus screamed at himself. _I was going to win this duel. I know I was going to win, I played power bond correctly, so why did Zane interfere. Did I do something wrong without knowing it again? _Syrus felt like crying, but he refused to let the tears fall.

Zane, ignoring Syrus's words, crouched down and withdrew a small pocketknife from his boot. Zane had never been the type to use knifes on people, to messy, but to come to the underground armed only with a deck of cards, was a death sentence. Zane gazed at Tanner as he flicked open the bland and saw with a certain notice of satisfaction that Tanner's eyes widened in fear. Disregarding the gasp that came from his little brother, Zane slow brought the point of the knife to his thumb and pierced it. Zane smiled as the red liquid fled from the small wound, and slowly covered his thumb. After retracting the knife, he gradually placed his thumb on Tanner's vest leaving another red mark.

"There's your prize," Zane whisper menacingly as he removed he thumb, "now get out of here."

Tanner blinked as Zane removed his thumb, and stared at his latest trophy. The prize he had longed for, ever since he had first seen the Kaiser duel was now his. An evil grin lined Tanner's face as he withdrew his duel disk, and he stared walking towards a side exit. Now was not the time to mess with Hell Kaiser and Tanner was not enough of a fool to even try. "I don't know what Hell Kaiser wants with you kid," Tanner murmured as he passed Syrus, "but I don't envy you."

The two brothers watched as the blood-loving duelist left the stone hall, and continued to stare at the exit until his footprints died away. Now an unsettling silence had fallen over the room. Syrus had no idea what to do. His stomach was in knots; what had he done wrong! _I know I was not just using that card I was playing it. So why did Zane stop me? Why? _

"Your friends are looking for you," Zane muttered as he interrupted Syrus's thoughts.

"Oh," Syrus said as he looked down and stared at his shoes. "I was playing that card correctly, Zane. I was going to win you know."

"I _know _you were going to win Syrus," Zane said with clenched teeth, "that is why I stopped you."

"I don't understand Zane," Syrus said looking up at his brother as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"Look around here you little twerp," Zane yelled as gestured to their surroundings with his arm, "do you honestly think that if you had won the duel Tanner would have just let you walk out of here. Most of those thumbprints were from duelist that did defeat him in a duel!"

"I don't understand," Syrus said again.

"If you had won that duel the only thing that would have happened, is you would have had to deal with an angry Tanner. He could have killed you Syrus, and I'm not being dramatic here either. This is the underground Syrus, people die here, and the majority of the them were duelist that won the duel, but didn't defeat their opponents enough to walk away. Agggg, you are such a hopeless little, diminutive, dimwitted jellyfish. Tell me, what would you have done if you had won this duel and had to deal with an angry Tanner?"

"You said my friends were looking for me, I sure they would have shown up to help me before anything really bad happened," Syrus perked up.

**"**_**Your friends would have shown up, your friends would have shown up!"**_ Zane shrieked as he rounded on Syrus. "News flash Syrus, you can't always count on other people to bail you out! You have to learn to get yourself out of predicaments. You have to learn that the only person you can count on is yourself, and you have to be willing to do what ever it takes to survive. _Friends_ don't always show up in time. The ambulance doesn't always show up in time and if you don't get out of the car on your own you're going to die! I swear you are just like Dad!"

"Just like Dad, just like dad, just like dad….." the words that Zane had shouted recounted off the walls again and again as they seemed to surround the two brothers. Zane just stood there shocked at what he had said. He just couldn't believe what he had said. He didn't know how to react to what he had just said. Hell Kaiser just stood there in shock with no idea how he was suppose to feel or even what he was feeling. The only think he knew was that he wanted to run. But he couldn't run right now, not until Syrus was back were he belonged.

"Zane," Syrus asked as he approached his older brother. Their father had always been a touchy subject for the eldest of the Truesdale brothers. Syrus had never known their father; he had died when Syrus was only a few days old. Zane on the other hand had known their father and where he had been very young when he died, he still remembered him. How they felt about their father was one of the many things that separated the two brothers. For Syrus he more missed the idea of a dad, where as, Zane missed their actual dad. It had always been a very painful gap that had separated the brothers; one that was two painful to even think about filling in.

"Your friends will be at the entrance," Zane said in a mute tone as he turned and started heading back down the tunnel, saliently indicating for Syrus to follow.

It seemed as if the eldest had gone into a sort of autopilot mode and this frightened Syrus greatly. Zane and always been strong, always been brave, and even when we was anger he had never lost it, at least not like he just had. Syrus unsure of what to do or how to handle the situation just turned and followed his brother. The two continued to walk down the passageway without a word being said, until some very familiar voices broke the unnerving silence.

"That is it; this has got to be the most confusing maze I have ever seen. I feel like Theseus," Bastion's voice bounced off the walls.

"Who?" Jaden's puzzled voice asked.

"You stupid slacker, Theseus from the story of the Minotaur," Chazz snapped.

"What's a Minotaur?"

"It's a mythic monster that lived in a stone labyrinth."

"Ha, Ha, Ha, a monster in a maze that's a good one Chazz," Jaden laughed. "So what, this monster just waits around in a maze until people turn the corner and run it to….AHHHH…..Oh my gosh Zane! Don't sneak up on people like that! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" Jaden yelled as he crashed into Zane.

"Jaden," Syrus bawled as he ran out from behind Zane and pulled Jaden into a bare hug.

"Syrus!" The whole group shouted as they all came together in a big group hug, all but one black clothed person who silently slipped away.

"We were all so worried about you little blue."

"Yeah, don't you ever do anything like that again slacker."

"How in the world did you get out of there solider?"

"Zane," Syrus answered as he once again looked at his feet.

"Hooray, I knew the old you was in there someway," Atticus shouted as he throw his arms up in the air looking around for Zane. "Zane, old buddy, old friend, old pal, were are you? Where did he go, he was just here?"

"Zane needs to be alone right now," Syrus voiced up to the group as they started to look around for him. "Dad kind of came up when we were alone."

_Back to Zane…._

Zane hurried up the stairs and quickly throw himself into the ice-cold rain. The water was like knifes as it meet with his skin, but Zane only found comfort in it. Now that Syrus was taken care of he could run. He could run away from this and never look back. He could leave everything about whom he had been in the past; he could let the water wash away all the pain and memories.

Zane ran down the street, crashing into and pushing nameless people out of the way. He felt broken right now; broken and alone. It was like being in a pool of water and as soon as he had gotten to the surface for air, another heap of water was dumped on him. He was drowning! Drowning in a mass of memoirs. Images of his father, and his father's funeral kept playing in his mind. He had been young at the time so he only remembered random things, which ultimately had no meaning, but still pledged Zane with pain. He remembered the white china plates that the food had been served on at the funeral. How he hated those plates! Those stupid, damn plates! All Zane could think of right now was running back to his apartment, where he could be alone. He had dug himself a grave and now he just wanted to be buried in it.

Zane forced his key into the keyhole and hurried into his apartment glad to finally be alone. He sank down to the floor with his back against the door and brought his knees to his chest. Zane just set there and as he did his feelings did a complete 180; the isolation started to suffocating him. He started gasping for breath as though he couldn't breathe. He needed to get out, he needed to stop being Zane, he did to stop being Hell Kaiser, he just needed everything to stop.

Zane looked down at himself and realized that his cloths were dripping on the floor. Now suddenly the water that had early made him feel clean made him feel dirty. He quickly ripped off his wet cloths and tossed them into the hamper, before crawling into bed. His bed, a place where nothing could hurt him. No stupid friends who said they were going to be there, but weren't when you really need them. No stupid Sheppherd to lecture him. No stupid dead dad to hunt him. But something was missing; something Zane needed to feel sheltered. Slowly Zane reached over, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello Jo Tannin speaking," Jo's voice answered.

"Jo," Zane called over the line.

"Zane," she replied, "I'm glad you called. So did you save the twerp or do I need to go shopping for another black dress."

"Jo I, I …" Zane mumbled out weakly.

"Zane what's wrong. Did something happen to Syrus?"

"No Syrus is fine. I just …I just… can you leave you phone on tonight. I just need to hear that someone else is there," Zane whispered over the phone.

"Do you want me to come over," Jo asked with concern in her voice.

"No," Zane muttered. "I need to be alone right now; just not totally alone. I sorry, that really doesn't make any sense does it? I'm not really my self right now."

"It's okay to not make sense ever once in awhile," Jo answered, "I'll just put you on speaker phone for tonight and come over for breakfast tomorrow. We can make omelets or something."

"Thanks Jo," Zane muttered as placed the still on phone on his nightstand and listened to all the sounds Jo made as she went about her night. He heard her as she cooked dinner, and heard the sounds of the TV shows she watched, and heard her mutter something about a stupid retainer, as she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed.

"Goodnight Zane," she called as he heard the rustle of her sheets as she climbed into bed.

"Night Jo," he called back.

Zane listened to Jo's slow breathing and light snoring that night, and for some reason it brought him some comfort. It was nice to know that someone was there; that he could be alone with out truly being alone. It didn't take much longer for Zane to fell into a deep, dreamless slumber, knowing that in the morning things would be better. After all Jo had said something about omelets, and Jo with eggs always equaled a good laugh.

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Well I hope you guys liked chapter 7. Please leave a review and tell me what you think about it so far. Big thanks to Anime 300 and Kaiseress for reviewing chapter 6. Also, tell me about anything you would like to see in this story. I might use them or they might inspirer my own ideas. I hope this helped brighten up your Monday, and I'm sorry the up-date was later then usual; I had a lot of test at school last week. Thanks for reading.


	8. Salt and Eggs are best when they are fre

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX

Salt and Eggs are best when they are fresh

"So what's the deal with Zane, Sy? I mean why would talking about your dad upset him so badly?" Jaden asked as he sipped his hot coco. After last nights events everyone had been a little on edge, so they had agreed that they would all meet and have breakfast together at the Bean Scene. The charming little café had grown on the group, and it felt like the perfect place to discuss the 'Zane issue,' as it had come to be called. Also, it seemed that this was a likely place to run into the underground duelist, and the whole group, Syrus especial, wanted to make sure that he was okay.

Syrus's eyes seemed to gloss over with tears as they rolled down and stared at his cup of steaming peppermint tea. Hot mist brushed up against his face, causing his glasses to fog over, but the youngest Truesdale didn't seem to mind. The steam seemed to lure the younger Truesdale into some sort of fictitious comfort, and for a while, he just seemed to fixate on it. An uncomfortable silence seemed to fall over the group as they waited for their littlest member to respond.

"I never really met my father," Syrus's voice suddenly quivered, "I was only a few days old when he was killed in a car crash."

A silent sorrow and sweep of grief seemed to fall over the group as they listened to Syrus's words. Bastion and Chazz's faces seemed to fall into a sort of grim state, and Hassalberry and to wipe a few tears from his eyes. Alexis had her hand clasped over her mouth, and even goofy, talkative Atticus and grown quite. As Zane's closet friend he had known that Zane's father had died, but he had no idea that it had been such a violent death, or that it had happened when Zane was so young, he couldn't have been more than two!

"He was on his way to see me at the hospital when a drunk driver hit him and over turned the car," Syrus snuffled as a steady flow of tears started to fall from his eyes. "Dad didn't die right way. He was suspended in the air by his seat belt, and decided to wait for the rescue team to come and save him, but they didn't arrive in time. He ended up dieing of internal bleeding while waiting."

"Oh my gosh, Syrus I'm so sorry," Jaden said as he pulled Syrus into a comforting embrace, "that's so horrible."

"I…I..I never really got to know him," Syrus whimpered as tears poured down his eyes and dripped on to the floor, "and Zane really hates to talk about him. See grandpa was taking Zane back home after seeing me, and they….they…they passed the over turned car. Zane saw them take away dad's body."

The whole group seemed to gasp as the impact of Syrus words hit them with full force. Atticus felt as though a part of his heart had been crushed, as he learned about the terrible incident that his best friend had gone though. Suddenly the reason Zane had always been so distant was explained. To lose a parent at any age is an unspeakable and traumatic event, but to actual see it, is simple inexpressible. The pain, the loss, is something that no one should have to experience. _Zane must have been so afraid to get close to anybody after that. It must have hurt him so deeply. _Atticus thought as he tried to keep himself from crying. _Why didn't he ever tell me about his dad? I could have helped him. I could have been there for him. Damn it Zane, why don't you ever tell anybody when you need help?_

"That's why he never wanted to get close to me," Syrus voice cut though everyone's thoughts, "if dad hadn't been coming to see me, he never would have been in that crash."

"That isn't true," Jaden stated in a strong, firm voice as he pulled Syrus into an even deeper hug. "What happened to your dad wasn't your fault, and Zane doesn't blame you, Syrus. It was not your fault."

"I just worry that Zane became too withdrawn after what happened to dad to love me," Syrus sobbed into Jaden's shoulder. "When he told me, he loved me during his duel with Camilla, I was so relived, but then he was taken away. When we got him back, I was so glad, I thought that finial things would start to get better between us, and they were! But now his gone again; I have to get him back Jaden, I have to, I need my older brother!"

"Don't worry Syrus," Jaden said as he hugged Syrus even tighter, "we will, I promise we will."

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_An eerie, ghostlike shadow had fallen over the world and Zane found himself standing in the middle of what looked like a giant white room. He looked around this white world and found that he was standing in the middle of a black and white highway road._

_"Hello," Zane called out into the empty stillness, "is anybody here?" _

_"Is anybody here? Is anybody here? Is anybody here?" The words echoed off the nothingness and bounded back to Zane._

_"Okay, I guess that means I'm on my own, not like that's anything new," Zane said to himself. 'I guess I'm supposed to follow this road,' Zane thought as he sauntered down the highway, 'not like there's anything else to do in this stupid white world.' He walked and walked for what seemed like hours, and nothing seemed to change. The road stayed the same, the white room stayed the same, and nothing crossed in front of Zane's path. 'Gosh, when is this path going to end,' Zane growled to himself._

_All of a sudden, a blinding, bright light washed over Zane and caused his eyes to flicker. When he opened them, he found himself standing on a hillside, and as Zane turned around, he saw that he was standing in front of a tombstone, with a bunch of grass covering the name._

_"So let me guess, now I'm supposed to pull back the grass and see my father's name, and realize that I have issues with his death. You now for an 'all knowing dream' you're a little behind. But hey, you know what I'll play along!" Zane shouted up into the emptiness, as he bent down and brushed the grass out of the way. But the name on the tombstone wasn't his fathers, nor was it his grandfather, nor was it any other departed person that Zane had known. The name Zane read on the tombstone was his own._

_End of Dream_

"Knock, knock, knock" the sound of banging on the door jerked Zane out of his sleep and caused any memory of his dream to evaporate from his mind. He turned and looked at the clock and saw that it read 9:00am. _9:00am, that must be Jo, _Zane thought as he pulled on a t-shirt and pair of pajama pants and went to answer the door;_ she said she was going to come over for breakfast. I wonder what's going to happen to the eggs this time._ Zane smiled as he thought about the last time he and Jo made breakfast._ I'm still not sure, how she turned them purple last time._

"Morning Jo," Zane greeted as he pulled open the door and stared at his female dueling companion. His eyes did a quick scan of her. She was clad in her usually black clothing, but today instead of the usual skirt, she was wearing black cargo pants and a black t-shirt with the words _I don't have a license to kill. I have a learner's permit _printed in red across the chest, and her long black hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. She was also, Zane noticed, carrying a brown paper bag. _Probable full of groceries, _Zane though as he let her though the door.

"Nice P.J.'s Truesdale," Jo smirked as she eyed her male partner, and placed the groceries on the kitchen table. "How about you get dressed, and I'll start breakfast?"

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Zane garbled as he crossed his arms and leaned against the refrigerator.

"What the getting dressed thing?" Jo asked as she eyed him curiously.

"No the leaving you alone in the kitchen thing."

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny Zane; don't you worry I'll be fine."

"It's not you I'm worried about, it's my kitchen. I've seen what happens when you and food get together. It isn't pretty. I mean seriously purple eggs."

Jo eyes narrowed into tiny little slits and with her acid green eyes she looked very much like a snake. "That was _one_ time Truesdale, and I've been practicing since then, I'm way better now. So why don't you just go get dressed and have a little faith in me."

"Fine," He said but instead of turning around and heading back to his bedroom, Zane strolled over to the cabinet under the kitchen sink and pulled out…

"A fire extinguisher!" Jo hissed indigently.

"Just in case," Zane smirked as he dropped the extinguisher in her arms and head off towards his room to change.

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"Well, I have to admit these omelets are really good Jo," Zane said as he cut into his Spanish omelet.

"Well, I tried my best," Jo said with a smug little smile.

The table was decked out with all sorts of yummy breakfast foods. There was buttery grits, and crispy bacon. Two tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice stood next to a plate of steam-warm blueberry muffins. In the middle of both duelist plates, placed ever so elegantly was two yellow, not purple in anyway at all, omelets. It was perfect, too perfect.

"You picked all this up from Denney's on the way over here didn't you?" Zane asked with a sneer.

"Zane, when you turn eggs purple it's time to stop kidding yourself."

"I still what to know how you did that," Zane said with a laugh as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"I not sure how it happened, and I'm not sure I want to know," Jo snickered as she sipped her orange juice. "So," Jo said her voice suddenly going serious, "are we going to talk about last night at all?"

"No," Zane growled his eye narrowing as he slipped into defensive mood.

"You know I think I'm entitled to at least know the reason why my phone bill is going to be so high this month."

"My dad came up when I was talking to Syrus," Zane snapped knowing that that would shut her up. He watched with satisfaction as Jo's eyes dropped and her fire temper cooled, but also at the same time was comforted and thankful that the reason she was letting the subject drop was because she understood. Jo had lost her mother too and knew first hand what it was like to deal with the pain, loss and anger that can only be brought on by losing a parent. Once again, Zane felt the type of comfort that he had only ever felt with Jo. The contentment of knowing that with her he could be alone without every really being alone.

"Don't you just hate it when that happens?! Your life is going a long just fine, when all of a sudden Bam!, memories of stupid dead parents came along to ruin it."

"I know and then everyone is like you need to deal with it."

"Then it's like 'Well, I don't want to deal with it.' God, why can't dead parents just stay dead," Jo shrieked.

"As if ruining our lives when they were alive weren't enough, now they have to do it from beyond the grave too," Zane growled.

"Yeah," Jo agreed as her eyes stared down at her eggs.

An unease, awkward silence had fallen over both duelists as memories of each of their parents came flooding back. Jo started picking at her eggs with her fork, the yellowy breakfast food suddenly making her sick to her stomach. Jo looked up and saw that Zane too had a revolted look on his face, and had pushed his egg to the back of his plate. A mutual understanding went between the duelist, and Jo stood, picked up the plates and started washing them in the sink. Zane soon followed her over to the sink and started to dry the plates as she finished washing them.

"So, I'll meet you at the dueling dome at noon. That is if you think you can get enough points to qualify for the finals by then?" Zane challenged, trying to change the subject.

"I'm a big girl, Zane, I can handle my self," Jo said as she finished washing the last plate and passed it, rather roughly, to Zane, before turning and walking out of the apartment.

"I'm very aware of that Jo, I'm very aware of that," Zane smiled as he finished drying the last plate and placed it in the cabinet. He then went to the coat closet to grab his signature black trench coat and duel disk before heading out the door.

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Well here is chapter 8. It's not my best work, but this was kind of a transition chapter, and it helped me write in a bit more of the Zane/father background. Big thanks to Kaiseress and Anime 300 for the reviews, I hope I can get a few more. I also enabled my anonymous reviews (didn't realize I hadn't enabled it ), so if you don't have an account and want to leave a review you can now. I hope you enjoyed chapter 8 and I hope to have chapter 9 out soon (reviews really help with up-dates). Thanks for reading.


	9. A pinch of salt, A dash of fear

I don't own Yu-gi –oh Gx

A pinch of salt, A dash of fear

"Agggg," the scream of another victim sounded off the walls of the stone chamber, as his life point meter fell to zero. Jo smirked as she watched another faceless drone plummet to her wrath, as she began collecting her cards to leave the underworld. _Well, that takes care of the qualifications for the finals,_ she thought as she walked down the marble tunnel. _Now the only thing left to take care of is that stupid surfer._

"Well, well, well if it isn't little Miss Hellfire," an annoying, and malevolent voice called out severing her thoughts.

"What do you what Backer," Jo hissed as her eyes narrowed and followed the blood-loving duelist who had started circling her. Circling her like, he was the hunter and she was the unfortunate prey. Nervousness and tension filled Jo as she watched Tanner orbit around her, something about Tanner had always made Jo uneasy. The bloody thumbprint thing was enough to make any normal person think twice before approaching him, but this was the underground, things like that weren't that unheard of, but still there was something about him, something dark, and not the kind of dark that she and Zane liked. No this dark was sinister and threatening, it made her scared, and not the kind of screaming or crying kind of scared. No this was a much deeper kind of fear, a penetrating kind of fear, the kind of fear that made Zane stand close to her when they happened to run into him together. Now that she found herself alone with him, her senses where on high alert.

"Just checking up on my favorite underground girl," Tanner replied with a sneer as he walked up to face Jo, "have to make sure she's staying out of trouble."

"I don't belong to anyone Backer, and I don't need you checking up on me," Jo spat while eyeing him. Something about him made her anxious, but she knew she couldn't show that. Having Tanner see that she was afraid of him didn't strike Jo as the smartest idea.

"Oh, now come on Jo," Tanner said as brought his hand to her face and stroked her cheek with his finger, "you never know what kind of trouble a pretty little girl like you might run into down here. Someone might try and hurt you." Tanner eyes did a down and up of her body as he said this and he licked his lips as they came to rest on an area a bit south of her eyes.

"Back off vampire boy!" Jo shouted as her hand, nails extended, met with his face and left four very deep, very long scratches.

"Why you little…" Tanner growled as he grabbed Jo's wrist and pulled her up so they were face to face. Jo had her eyes shut and seemed to be to waiting to be hit, and this somewhat pleased him, but what infuriated him was that she didn't look scared. He wanted her scared; he wanted her to tremble beneath him, her and Zane, but not quite in the same way. Those two stupid duelist; before they came he was the king of the underground. Now, now, he was nothing more than a joke, and he wanted that power back. However, that was not going to happen right now.

"You've got a little too much lip on you girl," Tanner spat as he throw her arm down, and slowly licked his lips again to find that he tasted blood, "and I can assure you, Jo, that one day I will make you bleed and I don't mean from your thumb." He watched as she turned and started to quickly walk down the rest of the tunnel.

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Jo shuttered as she closed the door to the underground, glad to be out of there, and scrunched up her face as it meet with the brightness of the sun. Soon she adjusted to the new light and was able to put her hand down and enjoy the day. Well, she really didn't enjoy the sun as much as the rain, but she was glad to be rid of Tanner. Goosebumps ran up and down her arms as she thought about that stupid blood-loving duelist. She hated that bozo, but what she hated most was that he scared her. She wasn't so arrogant to think that she shouldn't be scared of Tanner; he was a very cunning guy and could easily hurt her. She had taken self-defines classes-these days ever girl should-and knew she could defined herself, but that doesn't mean you go looking for trouble. But that was what Jo reviled the most; the fact that she still had to be scared of things. How she hated being afraid, it held her back from doing so much. Ever since her mother died, she had been terrified of loving someone again, because loving someone meant that you had to trust them with your heart, and Jo had never been good at trusting people. She supposed it had something to do with her father; she had never meant him. How could she trust strangers with her heart if her own father couldn't love her? Jo shook her head as if to force the thoughts out of her head as she approached the dueling dome.

"Well look who's final here. It's a good thing the point meter showed that you and Zane were the first ones to qualify for the finals, or you would have lost your spot with the time it took you to get here."

"Shut-up Princeton!" Jo spat as she came into the dome and saw the whole gang was there. She looked up and saw that a big point meter had been displayed on the dueling screen, and that it indicated that she and Zane along with, Atticus and Alexis, Jaden and Syrus, Chazz and Bastion, and four other teams had all made it to the finals.(Hassleberry had only come along to support the others.) A schedule had also been posted and it looked like neither of the teams would be facing each other unless they made it to the second round. Jo was very pleased with this schedule, it would give her a chance to see how the others dueled, and would help give her an idea about how to defeat them.

"What kept you, it usual doesn't take that long to walk from the underground to the dueling dome," Zane asked as he stepped out of a shadowy corner, he had preferred not to stand with the rest of the 'gang'.

"I ran into Backer," Jo said as she and Zane exchanged a look.

Zane knew how Jo felt about Tanner, and frankly, he couldn't blame her. Tanner had always rubbed him the wrong way. When they crossed paths one and one he could handle him; man to man. However, when Tanner was around Jo, or any other girl, Zane was extremely uncomfortable. There was just something in his eyes that Zane didn't trust, that's why he made sure to always stood close to Jo, whenever they meant up with Tanner. Zane, now and even before Hell Kaiser, had absolutely no tolerance for men that treaded women badly or looked at them funny; he had after all been raised by a single mother.

"Backer, as in Tanner Backer," Syrus questioned and the whole group seemed to get worried looks on their faces. He had told them all about the blood-crazed psycho that he had run into during his trip to the underworld, and the whole group had been revolted. A bloody thumbprint vest; who does something like that? Atticus, who had been messing with his guitar, had been so shocked that he had broken a few of his strings. They all were shocked that a person could be that messed up and debauched, and were glad that Syrus had gotten out of there okay. However, the news about Tanner had also giving them an idea of the kind of world Zane was living in, and they couldn't have been more concerned. Just how had their friend gotten involved with people like this, and why in the world did he keep going back to a place that had people like this? Was it like a drug or something? Syrus just couldn't figure out why Zane liked the underground so much, he for one couldn't have been happier to get out of that dark world, but for some reason Zane seemed to find some sort of ecstasy there.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Zane asked, ignoring Syrus's question, and slipped into protective mood. A shielding, territorial look seemed to wash over the Kaiser, and if Tanner and been in the room, and looks could kill, a funeral would differently need to be planed. Not that anybody would show up, expect of course for those that showed up to make sure he was dead.

"I told you before Truesdale," Jo snapped, "I can take care of myself." She had meet Zane's eyes while she said this and mutual exchanged a message with the dark clad duelist.

He had scared her, Zane decided, and if she had asked he would have gone and taken care of the punk right then and there, but the look told Zane that this was not the right thing to do. Jo could handle herself, a lot better then most people, and if she needed his help, she would ask. Jo had come to him before when she had gotten in over her head, and Zane was confident that she would again. He often came to her, when he had a problem, like last night. The two had a mutual agreement that, where they would always help each other, they would also let each other fight there own battles. Nevertheless, Zane was watchful when it came to Tanner.

"Well it looks like are last finalist is here, so we can finally start the photo-shoot!" an overly cheerful, merry redheaded woman called out as she walked up and started shaking Jo's hand rather enthusiastically. She was dressed in light-blue jeans and an overly flowery shirt, and had an aura of perkiness that would have even put Atticus to shame. "I'm Anna, the head of the Tag-Team tournament, and it's so great to meet you! You and Zane make such a cute pair. The sad, little Goth girl and boy, all dressed in black. The press is going to have a field day with you two."

"Mmmm, would you mind?" Jo asked looking a little taken aback and sickened at the amount of liveliness that was radiating off Anna, "you're kind of pulling my arm out of its socket."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear," Anna cooed as she dropped her arm and, even though it seemed impossible, her smile deepened.

"Just what do you mean by press and photo shoot," Zane questioned coming up to stand beside Jo. He didn't like the sound of where this was going, if there was one thing that Zane hated more than anything else it was the press. Reporters were always nosing around and trying to invade his life, and Zane did not intend to make that any easier for them.

"The press is doing a full page story on this tournament and wants to do interviews of all the teams and the bond between the members, and also a segment on the 6o'clock news. It's going to bring a lot of publicity to this tournament, and help promote Tag-Team dueling." Anna said with the same happy-go-lucky smile still in place.

"A photo shoot? T.V. time?" Atticus screamed running up to Anna with stars in his eyes; it appeared that Atticus's goals at stardom were still alive and kicking. "I sure we would all," Atticus continued while waving his hand at the whole group, "be happy to help with that."

"Well that's just great," Anna said as she pulled the whole group together and started ushering them into the elevator. "Now if you all would just head up stairs, we can get started. You two," she said turning to Zane and Jo and pointing to the next elevator, "can take that elevator since this ones full. See you at the top!" She waved as the doors shut.

"Danm, how many pills do you think she's popping?" Jo asked as she and Zane filed into the next elevator.

"Probably a bottle or two," Zane smirked as the doors closed and the elevator started up. "Man, I can't believe that we have to do this stupi….." Zane started, but was suddenly cut off as the elevator jerked and the lights went out.

"Jo, Jo, are you okay" Zane called out as the elevator settled down and the emergency light came on.

"I'm fine," Jo replied but her voice sounded a little shaky, and unstable, "What do you think happened? Why aren't we moving?"

"I think were stuck between floors," Zane said as he fettled with around with the door and control panel.

"But they're going to get us down right?" Jo asked her voice becoming even more anxious, as she started to pace around a little panicky.

"Yeah they'll get us down, but it may take awhile," Zane replied.

"Awhile, awhile, what do you mean awhile?" Jo shirked; panic going thought her whole body. "We can't stay here!" she yelled going up and pounding on the door. "We cannot stay in this tiny little box; we have to get out of here! There's not enough room in here, the walls are going to start closing in!"

"Whoa, Jo calm down," Zane whispered as he grabbed her and held her at arms length. Jo was trembling and her breathing had become very quick and unsteady. Her skin had also gone a sickly greenish, pale. "I didn't know you were claustrophobic."

"Zane, let go of me, let go of me" Jo trembled as she stared to shake even more.

"Shhhhh, hush it's going to be okay, you're going to be okay," Zane said as he pulled her towards him and started to sit down, while still cradling Jo in his arms. He brought Jo head to his chest and placed her over his heart so she could hear it beating. When he had been younger, and got scared, his mother had always done that with him and listening to her heart had always calmed him down. Seeing Jo like this was a little unnerving; Jo had always been strong and never let on when she was scared. Seeing her openly display her fear was so uncharacteristic, and unusual for her that it rather scared Zane. But as Jo clang to him, a rather warm feeling ran over Zane. She was relying on him to protect her, and that, in its self, was very hard thing to do. Zane new all to well that it took a great deal of trust to truly rely on someone, and the fact that Jo did trust him enough was pleasing, and rather completing in a way. It was nice to be needed, but even nicer to be wanted. Nobody had ever really needed Zane before, at least not like this. Sure, there was Syrus, but Syrus really need Zane's approval more than anything else. Never before had the Kaiser had someone clutch him in such a way. Zane liked being able to protect Jo, and as he watched her calm down, he couldn't describe how great it felt to know that she felt safe when she was with him. That she trusted him enough to let herself feel safe with him.

"There," Zane said as he brought his hand up and gently brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes, "I told you it was going to be alright."

"Thanks Zane," Jo sighted as cuddled more into his arms, bringing her head up so it rested under his chin, "but don't you get the wrong idea or anything. I'm only letting you do this because I'm really scared of enclosed places, it's not like I'm enjoying this or anything."

"Wouldn't even dream of it," Zane said as he hugged her even tighter.

"Good," Jo said as she nuzzled her head under his chin even more. The truth was that she really did like being in Zane's arms right, it was the first time she had felt safe in a long time. It was somewhat nice to be able to rely on someone like this; Zane was really the first person Jo had ever trusted since her mother. Why she trusted him, she had no idea. He was an underground duelist, being trust worthy was not in their nature. In fact, their whole relationship was completely abnormal. Why in the world destiny throw them together she would never know, but to be perfectly honest she didn't care. Being here with Zane right now felt nice, it felt right, it felt somewhat completing. Jo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when the lights suddenly came on and the elevator started moving again, causeing both Jo and Zane to jump a little.

"See I told you they would get us out of here," Zane said as he and Jo stood up and started straitening out there clothes.

"Yeah," Jo replied as she fixed her ponytail, "if you ever tell anybody about this Truesdale I'll kill you."

"You would to," Zane smiled as he fixed his jacket, and the doors opened and the dark dueling team was left to the mercy of the flock of reporters.

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_In someone unknown man's apartment……_

"Hey, Jack come here a second," a blond haired, brilliant green-eyed man called out to his roommate as he was watching the 6o'clock news. He was a middle-aged man about 33, 35, and was about six feet one; he had a fun loving look about him.

"What is it Jason?" Jack asked while walling into the T.V. room. He was a tall dark haired man about six foot four, and looked to be about 36, 37. He was dressed in a navy uniform, and he was currently untying his tie.

"Doesn't this girl look exactly like mom," Jason asked.

"Yeah, she does," Jack answered as he sank down on the couch and stared at the pale, black haired girl on T.V. with brilliant green eyes. She really did look exactly like his mother, but there was something else about her too. Something he couldn't quite place; he felt as if he knew this girl.

"She's a duelist," Jason continued on, "her name is Tannin, Jo Tannin. Didn't you use to date a girl with the last name Tannin? Allana Tannin?"

"Yeah, I did, but we parted ways after she decided to become a firefighter and I decided to go into the navy. We spent one last night together, right before I shipped out, and that was the last I heard of her."

"Well dude, it only takes one night," Jason said as he slapped Jack's back playfully.

"What? No, there's no way? I mean Alana would have told me.

"She might not have told you," Jack stated. "I mean look at the facts. She looks exactly like mom, her last name is Tannin, which is not very common, and she would be about the right age. Plus, her first name is Jo."

"What does her first name have to do with anything?"

"Hello, Jack, Jason, Jo…another J name. You know Alana always thought that it was cool that everyone in our family had a J name."

"Still, that doesn't mean that she's my….my…." Jack couldn't even bring himself to say the word.

"Look at her eyes, Jack. You may not have gotten green eyes, but those no question that those are our family's famous green eyes. And," Jason said his voice suddenly going serious, "you sence something about her too, don't you?"

"I'm going to call the airport and get a ticket out to Domino, do you what to go?" Jack asked his brother as he picked up the phone.

"Fly all the way to Domino to see if some girl we saw on T.V. is the long, lost daughter you didn't know you had. Sure, why not, it's not like I have anything else to do anyway."

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Yahoo, summer is here at last. No more test, no more quizzes, no more homework, the only thing I have to worry about is summer reading. Sorry it took so long to up-date, but I had finals to prepare for. I would like to say thank you to Anime 300 for the review; I was wondering if anybody noticed the salt in the title thing. I would also like to say thank you to Kaiseress for her review, I actual started writing this after I received her review. Please leave a review and tell me what you think of the new chapter and the story in general. If you have any ideas about what you would like to see in this story please tell me, I might use it or it might inspire. Thanks for reading.


	10. Only Salty Words Will Win you the World

I don't own Yu-gi-oh Gx

Only Salty Words Will Win you the World

At an airport…

"Hey Jack," Jason called out as he walked over to his older brother, "our plane is about to pull in, are you ready to go?"

"Ready to fly all the way to Domino to see if this girl we saw on T.V. is my long lost daughter, and if she is, somehow convince her to fly all the way to New York so we can get to know one another? Who wouldn't be ready for that?" Jack answered back sarcastically as he crumbled up the letter he had been reading. The truth was, Jack had never been more nerves in his life. He knew he had no proof and no way to explain it, but he somehow knew that Jo was his daughter.

"Fly all the way to New York? Why are do you have to New York?" Jason asked with his eyebrows raised.

"I just got a letter from my supervisor, and I've been assigned to go to New York City. I have to leave tomorrow evening," Jack sighed. How in the world was he going to convince a girl he barely knew to fly all the way to New York, because she might be his daughter? Oh, who was he kidding, Jo most definitely was his daughter, and he wanted to get to know her. But why in the world would she pick up her whole life to come live with a father she had never known? He most certainly wouldn't if he were her. Maybe, just maybe, fate would be on his side and somehow it all would work out.

"I'm sure it will all work out in the end," Jason said putting a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I hope so, Jason, I really hope so."

"Well all those flying to Domino, please board the plane. The flight will be leaving in 15 minutes," the flight attendant called over the intercom.

"Come on bro, let's get going," Jason said while grabbing his bag, and heading over to the line to get on the plane, with Jack following behind.

Please let this somehow work out, Jack thought as he boarded the plane that would take him to the city where he had left his heart all those years ago; the city where his life might just be changed forever.

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In the duel dome……

"Wow, in my seven years of sports announcing I don't ever thing I've seen so much violence, and that includes the three years of being a boxer announcer," the overly boisterous and earsplitting broadcaster called out to the roaring audience as they cheered on the 'Goth team.'

Jo and Zane's eyes meet as they both turned, and headed out the arena doors leaving the defeated tag-team smoldering in the smoke. It had been a very demanding and taxing duel, but not exactly, what anyone would have called a challenge. It was clear that the pleasant, polite team that had been assigned to go up against the Goth team, as Jo and Zane had come to be called after they completely destroyed their first opposites in round one, had stood no chance what so ever. The duel had started out with both teams being fairly evenly matched, but after a few short turns that quickly changed. Zane and Jo took full control over the duel, completely devastating the two twin brothers they were up against. The audience too, had been taken though a loop as they watched the two black clothed duelists take the lead. At first, it had seemed that Jo and Zane had no intension of playing as a team at all; each seemed to only be concerned with their own strategies. Then their playing did a complete 180, every move that they had made, that had seemed only to help themselves, actual helped the other. Zane had used his Different Dimension Capsule to bring back a card that Jo ended up using, and Jo sent a monster to the grave that Zane brought back and used to fuse into the monster that won them the duel. Overall, it was like Zane and Jo knew each other's decks as well as they know their own.

After the duel had ended, the whole audience had expected the two duelists to come together in some sort of hug-or as Atticus would have loved a kiss-at the very least a handshake. What they did not expect was for the two of them to walk out of the arena without a word to each other.

"How, can they just walk out without saying a word to each other," Atticus sighed as he watched Zane and Jo walk out, "and after I spent all that time planning the broken down elevator plan."

"Wait, that was you," Alexis asked as she looked at her brother incredulously.

"Of course it was me; brand new elevators just don't brake down. It was the perfect plan. The elevator brakes down, the girl gets scared, the boy comforts her, and the couple comes together and share loves first kiss. It would have worked perfectly, except for one crucial element. I complete forgot the boy and girl I trapped in the elevator are completely abnormal! I even hurt myself, missing around with the electrical box. You think Zane and Jo would think a little about what not being a couple is doing to me," Atticus complained as he glared at the door Zane had walked out of earlier.

The rest of the group just sweat dropped, as they stared at the hopeless romantic.

"You know if he had put half as much time into preparing for your duel, as he did into hooking up Zane and Jo you guys might have actual won," Chazz declared to Alexis as the both continued to watch Atticus, who had started to pace around mutter something about 'getting mistletoe.'

"Oh like you're one to talk," Alexis snapped as she turned to face Chazz, "you and Bastion spent so much time arguing that I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did in your duel."

"Hmmmm," Chazz huffed as he crossed his arms and looked away.

"Yes," Bastion commented, as he became part of the conversion, "it seems we all will have to transfer our support to Syrus and Jaden."

"You better believe it; look out Zane and Jo, because Sy and I are going to kick your butts," Jaden screamed as excitement and joy over took the burnet.

Syrus smiled as he watched his best friend jump around, but he couldn't help but be a little nevus. He still couldn't believe that he and Jaden had survived both rounds and had made it to the finals. He was so sure that he would be Jaden's downfall, but much to his relief they were still in this contest. Only now, they were going to go up against his brother, and Jo was no push over either. The way they dueled was incredible; it was as if they could read each other's minds. Every time Syrus thought about how he was going to have to face off against his brother (again), the butterflies in his stomach seemed to multiply. How has he supposed to face Zane again? Last time he had gone up against his brother, he had lost, and ended up in the nurse office. Now not only did he have to face Zane, he had to face Jo too. At least I have Jaden, Syrus thought to himself. But Jaden has never defected Zane before, and now there's Jo to worry about. Gosh, what if I cause us to lose, I could never forgive myself.

"Jaden, maybe you should find a new partner for the finals," Syrus sighed, "I don't what to bring you down. I don't belong here."

"Well, with that kind of attitude I would have to agree," Jo's frosty voice called out as the underground duelist marched up to the group. "If you going to run away from something, because you a little bit scared, then you don't deserve to have it in the first place."

"Hey man, why don't you just back off," Chazz spat back at the Goth girl, when it came to older brothers Chazz felt that he and Syrus could relate. "In case you didn't know your pal Zane is the main reason Syrus has any problems."

"Funny, I could say the same thing about your blue haired pal," Jo muttered back as she picked up the purse she had forgotten and turned to go. She and Zane had plans to meet up at the entrance and walk back to her place to have dinner. Then they were going to go over their strategy for the duel with Syrus and Jaden that would take place next evening.

"Wait Jo," Syrus called out to her before she got very far, "what did you mean by that, how have I caused problems for Zane."

"Look, it's none of my business," Jo said as she continued to walk away.

"Jo, please," Syrus called again.

Jo sighed as she turned around. "Syrus answer me this, what's Zane's favorite color? What books does he like to read? What's his favorite food? Does he like Coke over Pepsi of Pepsi over Coke? Do you even know why he likes going to the docks so much?"

Syrus just stared at the ground; the truth was he didn't know the answer to any of these questions.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Jo said as she came up to stand in front Syrus. "Apart from duel monster you don't know one thing about him do you? You only know what everyone else knows. You're more like his biggest fan, then his little brother. So tell me, if his own little brother can't see him as anything more than a duelist, how do, you expect him to belief anyone else can? Face it Syrus, you and Zane happen to be a lot more alike then you think, the only deference is that when something bothers Zane he doesn't whine about it."

Tears started to run down Syrus's cheeks as Jo spoke, and after she finished saying her bit, she just stared at the younger, smaller duelist with a cold, unforgiving stare, the exact same stare that Zane use to give him.

"Hey," Jaden said running up to stand next to his wounded friend, "that was kind of a mean thing to say."

"You're right," Jo said while nodding her head to show she agreed with Jaden, "it was a mean thing to say. In fact, it was down right cruel, almost as cruel as repeatedly telling someone that almost every problem you have in life is somehow their fault, when all they were trying to do was, give you a little tough love. In case you haven't realized by now Syrus, before the underground anyway, Zane was only being hard on you so you would toughen up, because that little whiney way of yours isn't going to get you any where in life, and unlike your fiends," she said pointing to Jaden, "most people aren't going to come running to your aid. Now I'm not saying that all the problems between you and Zane are your fault. Heaven knows Zane was never brother of the year, but it's a two way street. The worlds a cruel, mean place Syrus, get use to it," Jo finished as walked towards the exit.

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"It sure took along time for you to find your purse," Zane said as he saw Jo coming out of the duel dome. He had been leaning against the side of the building; thinking over the past days duels. It had been interesting dueling with a partner; he had participated in tag-duels before, but never quite like that. There were times when it felt like they could read each other's minds. But then again, Zane had noticed that he had been able to read Jo's mind a lot lately, and not just when they were dueling. Not for real of course, but recently Zane had noticed that just by looking at her, he could tell what she was thinking. How she would bite her lip when she was worried and play with her hair when she was angry. They had started to finish each other sentences too, which was both annoying and somewhat sweet. In fact, ever since last night in the elevator, Zane had been thinking about how many things had changed with Jo. It had been nice holding her and having her cuddle up against him. It had been the first time in a long time that he felt as if he was protecting someone, and the first time he had ever protected someone like that. He still remembered the way her hair had smelled, like coconuts, and how warm she had felt. Zane smiled as he though about it, he had liked having Jo in his arms.

"Shut-up Zane," Jo said as she came up to where Zane was standing and they started walking down the street towards her place, all the while Jo was twirling her hair.

"What's the matter," Zane asked as he noticed Jo was playing with her hair; she practically had it in a knot.

"Nothings the matter, why would you think something's the matter," Jo asked deciding that telling Zane about her talk with Syrus was not the best idea. She had been thinking over what she had said to Syrus and was starting to feel a little bad about it. She had been cruel, she knew that, but she didn't regret what she had said. In many ways, she thought it was time Syrus realized just how Zane felt, because there was no way that Zane would ever tell his brother how he felt especially now that he was Hell Kaiser. That was what was truly the root of the problem, neither of the brothers every told the other what they were feeling or more importantly why they where feeling what they were feeling. Not that I can talk about sharing feelings, Jo thought, but still.

"I know something's the matter because you're playing with your hair. You always play with you hair when your angry," Zane said as he turned to look at her as they walked down the sidewalk towards Jo's apartment, many cars passing them on the way.

"I do," Jo asked as she suddenly realized that she was twirling her hair and dropped it.

"Yeah, you do," Zane smirked as he saw Jo's cheeks glow slightly red with embarrassment as he called out her little habit.

"Well we all have little habits, and don't worry about what's going on, I can handle it," Jo said a little quickly as she saw that they were headed to Missing Pieces graveyard where her mother was buried. This time, however, she was going to pass in front of it, Jo didn't even realize that she had grabbed Zane's hand as they started getting closer to the graveyard.

Zane smiled as he felt Jo grab his hand and slowly turned his hand so their palms were facing before slipping his fingers in between hers. He saw that they were headed towards the graveyard that had freaked Jo out the other day, and knew that whatever the reason (though he did think it had something to do with her mother) it was time that she dealt with it. And I'm going to help her deal with it, Zane thought. Maybe it's time I stared dealing with my own father's……

But Zane's thoughts were interrupted as all of a sudden one of the cars that had been passing them started to lose control. The driver started to swerve and before he could gain control, again he had crashed the car into a street pull on the other side of the road. The driver seemed to be a little shaken and was holding his arm as he crawled out of the wrecked car, but other wise seemed okay. A crowd had started to gather and it looked like the driver was going to be all right. A police officer had even arrived at the scene and was telling the mass of people to stand back. It was a good thing to, because not a minute later the car caught on fire.

"Oh my Gosh," Zane gasped as he and Jo watched the site before them. The whole thing had happened so fast that he barely had time to react before the whole thing was over, or in this case on fire. "Are you okay," Zane asked as he turned to look at Jo. Her grip on his had tightened during the car crash, but had become almost unbearable after it had caught on fire. "Jo, Jo," Zane called her as he gently shock her shoulder, but Jo didn't responded to him, the only thing she seemed to be aware of was the fire. That's right, Zane thought as he saw what Jo was starting at, Jo's mother died in a fire.

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe," Jo gasped as she fell to her knees. She kept starting at the fire, the very substance that had murdered her mother. She had to look away, she couldn't stair at this site, it was too much for her to handle, it was bring back to many memories. She turned her head hoping to stop the memories, but her eyes only meet the Missing Pieces graveyard sign. More memories of her mother came crashing down all around Jo, and she had no idea how to handle it. She had no idea what was going on right now, she wasn't even aware that someone had picked her up, and was carrying her to into the graveyard.

Zane glanced down at Jo's whimpering form as he carried her into the graveyard looking for her mother's grave. It was time that Jo dealt with this and the only way for her to deal with it was to face what she was afraid and anger at head on. It wasn't hard to find where Jo's mother's grave was; it was the only one without flowers. Zane sighed as he placed the sobbing girl in front of the grave that read Alana Tannin.

"Jo," Zane said as he turned her around to face the grave, "you have to deal with this, and you need to deal with this now."

"No, No, No," Jo whimpered

"Yes Jo, you need to tell your mother who you feel."

Jo looked up at the grave that was in front of her, the one that had her mothers name written across it.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," Jo screamed as her first pounded into the grave. "How could you leave my like that. I needed you and you left my all alone. I miss you…I love you. I love you and you're gone. You're gone, you're gone," she cried as she stopped pounding the grave and sobbed.

"It's okay Jo, it's okay, I'm here," Zane whispered as he brought her up so she was in his arms once again and let her sob into his chest. Jo's tears stopped, and soon she was just resting her head against Zane, as she had when they were in the elevator. Zane's arms tightened around her more as the feeling of being complete came rushing back, but he wanted something more. He looked down at her, green eyes meeting teal, as he slowly brought his lips down to meet hers.

The kiss was like nothing Zane or Jo had ever experienced. It was as if each had found a missing piece of themselves that they didn't even realize they were missing. Jo's arms came up around Zane's head pulling him even deeper into the kiss as she allowed him to deepen it even further. As Zane kissed her, Jo felt as if he was healing a part of her soul and she in turn was healing part of his. The kiss continued to deepen as Jo shank to the ground so Zane was on top of her, and Zane's hands came to rest on her waist before they reluctantly broke apart.

Teal eyes once again meet green ones as Zane and Jo stared at each other, both thinking about what had just happened. It was something new, it was something scary, but it was also something that felt unbelievable right. Zane gazed down at Jo, and stared at her cheeks that were rosy both from tears and the lingering heat of the kiss, and realized that this was what he wanted. This was what he felt like he was missing when he went down to the underground and became Hell Kaiser. What he had been missing was love, and now he had found it again, right under his nose. Zane sighed as he picked Jo up once again, unwilling to let her out of his arms just yet, and carried her back to her apartment.

He stayed with her that night. There was no more kissing or anything of the sort for the rest of the night. A mutual understand that this was not the night to take thing any father had been agreed upon by both, but Zane stayed with her just the same. The two lost duelist, for now that each had started to heal they really couldn't and didn't what to go back to the underground, spent the night cuddled in each other arms.

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Well here is chapter 10; I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I would like to thank Anime 300 and DaydreamerMagby for their reviews. DaydreamerMagby I sorry you were confused. Jack and Jason are brothers; Jack is the older of the two. It looks like Jack maybe Jo's father, because Jo looks exactly like Jack and Jason's mother did, and she has the same usual last name as a girl Jack dated when he was younger. I hope that helps clear some things up for you. I would also like to thank all those who read and reviewed my other story My name is. Please review and thanks for reading.


	11. Salt is born of the purest of parents: t

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX or the few lines I used from Charmed

Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea 

Jo smiled as she stared down at the man sleeping next to her, and slowly started tracing her finger around his eyes and nose. He looked so calm when he was sleeping, so calm and tranquil that Jo couldn't help but feel completely relaxed when she looked at him. It had been the first time she had felt relaxed since her mother had died, the first time she had been able to breathe without her heart hurting. It took Jo a minute to realize that the reason she felt so calm was that she was with someone she loved, and who unbelievable loved her back. It was strange being in love and being loved back, it was like suddenly all the pain she had felt in the past had disappeared. Her smiled deepened as she saw Zane's teal eyes open, and stare back into her green ones.

"Morning sea salt," Zane whispered as he slowly reached up and pulled Jo down into a deep kiss. It was so nice having Jo in his arms, having someone to protect and call his own. Who would have guessed that Atticus, that stupid surfer who was always pairing people up, had actual succeed in his goal of bring a couple together, a sure sign of the apocalypse. Zane could only shutter at the thought of what would happen once Atticus found out that he and Jo were together now.

"Sea salt? What kind of pet name is that?" Jo asked as she pulled out of the kiss and headed to the kitchen, leaving Zane with a slight frown on his face.

"Well, calling you sweetheart or darling doesn't seem to fit."

"Yeah, but sea salt? Where in the world did you come up with that?" Jo asked as she turned and started to make coffee.

"Well, I love the sea and salt just seems to describe you," Zane said as he came up behind Jo and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Jo smiled as she leaned back into Zane's arms. "So now that we are together, how does that change things?" Jo asked as she and Zane just stood together slowly swaying back and forth enjoying the moment.

"Well, I suppose I have to pay for your coffee and meals when we go out now, and we can go out to the movies and stuff," Zane stated as he slowly released Jo and leaned against the counter as he watched Jo make coffee.

"Buy me dinner and stuff, mmm. Well I guess that means I have to give you hugs and kiss when you win duels and take me out to the movies then," Jo teased as she smirked a little half smile at Zane and handed him a mug of coffee.

"I'm thinking that's how the whole relationship thing works," Zane nodded as he took a sip of the coffee.

"and the underground duels?" Jo asked as she too took a sip of her coffee and stared at Zane. She had lost interest in the underground duels, now that she made peace with her mother's death, and had no intension of ever going back to that dark world again.

"I have no desirer to go back to that world again," Zane said as he continued to sip his coffee. It was true that he had no desirer to go back to the underground, the only reason he had was because he had felt alone. Now that he had Jo, he didn't feel alone anymore. However, he wasn't quite ready to go back to his friends yet. He still wasn't sure how to face them, or even how to rejoin the group. He wasn't even sure he wanted to rejoin the group. A part of him felt as though he should just move on with his life and not try to go back to his old friends. However, another part of him felt that he needed to fix things between them.

"Well, I guess the only question left now is how we tell Atticus that he actual fixed up a couple, without releasing a cupid monster upon the world," Jo smiled as she reached up and kissed Zane again.

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_Biggest fan, biggest fan, biggest fan,_ the words kept playing over and over in Syrus's mind. _Was Jo right, is that really how Zane's thinks of me. I never meant to come off that way; I just wanted to get close to him._ Worry lines crept onto Syrus's face as he thought about what Jo had said to him. He had been thinking about it all night, and just couldn't seem to think of anything else. His friends didn't really know what to say either, and had decided to leave him alone to deal with his thoughts until he was ready to talk. Syrus stared down at his eggs, the whole gang was having breakfast in the café again, and decided to finally speak for the first time since last night.

"Atticus do you think what Jo said was true? Do I really come off as more of a fan than a brother?"

Atticus looked up at Syrus, noticed his sad eyes, and thought about what he was going to say. Zane had always been weird about fans. Unlike Atticus who loved being in the center of a crowed, Zane had always liked being a loner. He absolutely hated people, like Missy, who treaded him like some kind of Greek god. It some respects it was odd that two completely different people had become best friends, but then again in a way they kind of balanced each other. Atticus smiled as he remembered how it had taken a while for Zane to open up to him back when they first became friends.

"Syrus, I think you need to make it clear to Zane that the only reason Duel Monsters was such a big deal between the two of you was because you wanted to get close to him. Explain to him how worried you were about how the death of your dad affected your relationship." Atticus suggested, as he looked right into Syrus's eyes. "See the thing with Zane is that you have to be up front with him about your feelings. He can be unsympathetic at times without realizing just how much it hurts others, but if you share with him how you're feeling, he can be pretty great. He helped me a lot when I was dealing with Nightshroud issues."

"But how I'm I supposes to do that now that he has become Hell Kaiser," Syrus screamed out as tears came to his eyes. "I really doubt he'll be in the mood to talk with me!"

"Hey Sy, calm down a minute," Alexis said as she tried to soothe her friend. "Just wait and see what happens between the two of you during tonight's duel. I'm sure you'll be able to get through to him this time."

"Take my word for it Syrus," Chazz added on to what Alexis was saying, "when it comes to having horrible older brothers that don't care about you I know what I'm talking about. Zane may not be brother of the year and he may be kind of mean at times, but he does care about you. He wouldn't have come to get you in the underground if he didn't."

"Thanks guys," Syrus sighed as he brightened up a little. He was still a little unsure about how to approach his older brother, but tonight before or after the duel, he was going to have a talk with Zane. He had to admit that although their meeting in the underground hadn't been the best, it did sound like Zane stilled carried about him. Maybe just maybe, Atticus stupid plan would work and he would have his brother back. "I just hope everything goes alright."

"Of course everything will go alright, and tonight Sy and I are going to win," Jaden said with his usually cheery attitude. The rest of the group just looked on and smiled at Jaden's optimism.

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"Come on where is it," Zane said out loud to himself as he continued to go though the boxes in his closet. His mom had sent over a bunch of boxes after he had moved out, and until now, he hadn't had a reason to go though them. After he and Jo finished breakfast, he had cooked just to be on the safe side, Zane had decided to head home so he could take a shower and change his clothes. After finishing his shower, he had changed into simple midnight blue slacks and a matching blue top, and right now, he was currently looking for another trench coat. On the walk back from Jo's place, he had ended up throwing his Hell Kaiser trench coat in the trash can; he really couldn't stand to look at it anymore. Now if only he could find another one, in these stupid boxes. _Why oh why did mom send over some many boxes,_ Zane thought as he ripped open another one, _I don't remember having this much stuff. Hey what a minute, what is this? This isn't my stuff. _

Zane stared down at the open box in front of him. Unlike the other boxes, which had been filled with clothes and a few other items he had left at home included the stuffed bumblebee his grandfather had given him, this boxes was filled with a bunch of letters and photographs. The letters were all stacked on top of each other and tied together with a light pink ribbon. Zane also noticed that the letters seemed to have a flowery aroma to them, as thought some girl had spread perfume on them before sending them off to her boyfriend. Curiosity getting the better of him, Zane opened the letters and saw that they were from his mother to his father and vice versa. A stabbing pain ran though Zane as he thought of his father and recognized his handwriting, but he couldn't help but read through the letters.

Zane laughed a little as he read his parents corny, lovey dovey letters that they had written to each other in their younger years and early part of their marriage. They had gotten together right at the end of high school, and had kept in touch through letters, phone calls, and the occasional visit while they had attended different collages. It had been a rather surprising couple, the student body president and caption of the cheerleaders hooking up with a guy that seemed to be afraid of his own shadow. In a way each of the Truesdale brothers seemed to identify more with one of their parents, Zane more with their mother and Syrus more with their father. Right after collage graduation, they had a simple, small wedding, and had planed to keep up the long distance relationship for another year or so, as they had each been offered jobs in different cities. However, the result of a one-night visit had changed that.

Zane read over the first letter his father had written to his mother after he found out she was pregnant with him.

_To my dearest Karin, _

_ I was walking in the park earlier today, thinking about you and the baby that is on the way. It scares me to think that a new little life is coming into the world and depending on me to take care of it. I have never been the bravest of guys, and I still cannot believe that you agreed to go out with me, let alone marry me, and now we're having a baby. When I think about you and everything that you have done for me, I cannot help but think that I'm the luckiest person in the world. I still remember the first time I saw you walking in the hall, back in high school. You were the prettiest girl I had ever seen in my life, and I couldn't help but think that I would never have a chance of being with you. Now I can look back and say that you have become my best friend, my partner in life, and the future mother of my child. _

_ I know you were worried about what would happen with our careers and how we would make this work since we didn't plan on having children this early, but we are a family and I promise to take care of you. I have decided that I'm going to give up my job here and find a new one where you live. I know your career means a lot to, so if it's okay with you I'll stay home and take care of the baby. I still can't believe that I'm going to be a father, I've never wanted anything more. _

_ When our baby is born I promise, that he or she will be loved and cherished above everything else in our lives. The next generation is about to be born into our family, our legacy. I pledge to you here and now that I will be with this child, always. Apart but never separate, free but never alone. This baby is one of us and because of that, we will bless him or her with all the goodness and kindness that we are. _

_With all my love, _

_Perry Truesdale _

"Apart but never separate, free but never alone," Zane whispered out loud, as he reread that part of the letter. It was a strange concept to think about, being alone without ever really being alone. Zane had always liked being alone, it gave him time to think and with all the stupid fans he had that just wanted to use him, it kept him safe. But at the same time Zane knew that no matter what, he always had the love of his family and his true friends. He had forgotten that when he went to the underground and became Hell Kaiser. His friends hadn't meant to forget him, he realized that now, and they still cared about him. It was time to make a mends with his old friends.

"Thanks dad," Zane said as he continued to search through the old box. He found a lot of old pictures. Some of his parents when they were his age, a few old wedding pictures, and a couple of pictures were of his mom when she was clearly pregnant with him. Some of the more recent photographs showed Zane's parents playing with him when he was a baby. There were many photos were Zane had some sort of food smeared all over his face and clothes, and a couple where Zane had no clothes on at all (those pictures had to be buried Zane decided). As Zane got to the end of the pile of pictures, he noticed that a few of them were of when his mother was pregnant with Syrus and the very last one was of all of them together at the hospital the night Syrus was born, right before his father died; the only picture with them all together that existed.

Zane stared down at the picture in his hand and was a little surprised that he didn't start to cry, but he was tired of being sad about his father's death. He would always be troubled and distraught over the loses of his father, but it was time to move on and remember the good times not the bad. His father would what him to be happy, and now that he had Jo, and his old friends back he would try to fulfill his father's wish.

Zane was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a frantic nock on the door. Putting the pictures and letter back into the boxes, Zane quickly stood up and went to answer the door. A smile quickly appeared on Zane's face as he realized that it was Jo at the door, but when he saw the state, she was in, his smile quickly faded. Her checks were stained red with tears, her breathing was ragged, and she looked completely panicked.

"Zane," Jo shouted as she rushed into Zane's arms and buried her face into his chest.

Zane just stood there and held tightly. This was a little different, from the last times he had held her. Last night and in the elevator, she had been upset and distressed, but right now, it seemed as though she was falling apart.

"Jo what's going on, what's wrong?"

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Jo stared into the mirror as she finished applying some light pink eye shadow. It was like she was staring into the eyes of a stranger; well not really a stranger, more like a long lost friend. The face that gazed back at her was one she hadn't seen in a long time. Gone was the complete black outfit and heavy dark makeup, and left was the face of a normal, average teenage girl with a taste for darker colored clothing. Jo couldn't give up everything she had learned in the underground in a day, so, instead of all black clothing, she had settled for dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt that was sprinkled with different colored hearts. She had also decided to go with lighter colored makeup, but had kept her black nail polish. The smile, however, was what made her reflection truly different. Jo had forgotten just how much she loved her smile, and now that she had it back, she didn't ever what to lose it again.

Jo thoughts about her new or old appearance depending on how you looked at it, were cut off, however, when there was a knock at the door. Thinking that Zane, who had only left about 20 minutes ago, might have forgotten something, Jo quickly went to answer the door. When she opened the door, however, she was surprised to see a middle-aged man with dark hair dressed in a navy uniform.

"Jo Tannin? Daughter of Alana Tannin?" The man asked. He spoke rather quickly as though he was nervous about something, and seemed to have a tense look about him. He kept twisting a piece of paper in his hands.

"Yes," Jo answered as she closed the door so she was standing half way in half way out, "how can I help you." She did not sense anything bad about this man, but her mother had always taught her to be cautious when it came to unknown men at the door. This man also seemed to know a lot about her, and since she didn't know anything about him, so she was on her guard.

"Hello, I'm Jack Maaka," Jack said as he handed Jo the piece of paper he had been twisting, "I use to be an old friend of your mother's before she passed."

Jo looked down at the piece of paper, which turned out to be a photograph. It was a very old, long forgotten snapshot of her mother and Jack holding hands at some sort of school picnic. A half smile formed on Jo's face as she looked down at her mother's smiling face. It had been a long time since Jo had seen her mother's face, it had been too painful, but after all these years, it was nice to see it again.

"Just old friend," Jo asked with sly smile as she looked up into Jack's brown eyes, "seem more like you were her old boyfriend."

"Actual that's what I wanted to talk about, if I could come in?" Jack asked and seemed to become even more nervous about something.

"Yeah, sure, come on in," Jo decided as she stepped back and opened the door allowing Jack to come inside. This man seemed to be genuine and he had known her mother, so Jo decided that it was safe to let him come into her apartment.

"If I had known Alana had a daughter I would have come right after she died," Jack said he took a seat on the couch as Jo sat in the chair across form it. "You where young when she died, so where did you grow up?"

"I went from foster home to foster home until I turned eighteen," Jo explained as she continued to stare at the man in front of her. She couldn't explain it, but she felt she had some sort of connection with this man.

"Eighteen, so you would have been born in late February, early March?" Jack asked as he tried avoiding Jo's eyes, seeming to grow tenser by the second.

"February 29th, so actually I only have a birthday every four years," Jo said with a slight laugh."

Jack seemed to laugh right along with Jo, until both stopped and an awkward silence fell upon the room.

"Listen Mr. Maaka, as much as I enjoy playing twenty questions with you, is there any particular reason you came here?"

"Yes actual, there is. See about eighteen years and nine months ago your mother and I had one last night together. We were only a little older than you are, and were headed down different paths. I was going to the Navy, she was going to be a firefighter, so it was kind of our way of saying goodbye. I never really thought much about it, until I saw you on T.V. the other night. You look exactly my mother, and the timing lines up so I think there is a good chance, actual I'm almost sure, that I'm your father." Jack had said all of this very fast and had avoided Jo's eyes while he was saying it.

"What?" Jo said as sat there somewhat stunned. She had heard what Jack had said, and he did have a point about the timing lining up. She also remembered that her mother had said something about her father being in the Navy when she had asked about him back when she was really young. Now that she got a good look at Jack, she could see some facial resemblance; they also had the same color hair. Even though she had no proof she couldn't help but feel that what Jack said was true, that he really was her father.

"We can take a DNA test to check, but see the thing is I have to move to New York for work, I can't get out of it. I'm flying there tonight and I was hoping you would go with me. If the test comes back negative, I will pay for you to come back, but I know that you are my daughter and I would like to get to know you," Jack said as her looked right into her eyes.

"How dare you," Jo spat as she rose to her feet in anger. "You just waltz in here after eighteen years and suddenly announce that you're my long lost father and expect me to just give up my life and fly to New York with you! I have a life here, and someone who cares about me. So you know what you just needed to get out of here, because this is just happening all too fast. For all you know, you might not even be my father!"

"I am your father, Jo," Jake said as he too rose to his feet and headed for the door. "The plane leaves at 6:00pm, I have a ticket for you, I really hope you change your mind," he uttered before he closed the door to leave Jo alone with her thoughts.

Jo just stared at the door that Jake had just left through; she had no idea what to do or even what to feel. It was all just happening to fast. Her heart was pounding so much that it hurt, and her breathing started to became ragged as tears started to run down her cheeks. She had always wanted to know who her dad was, and had dreamed of meeting him, but this was not the way the dream was suppose to go. How could she give up her whole life here, and move to New York? What about her friends? Okay she had no friends, but what about the tournament? What about Zane? She and Zane had just started their relationship; she couldn't leave now.

Jo needed to escape, she needed to run, and she needed to run to someone that cared about her. Grabbing her purse and quickly locking the door, she took off down the street headed to the one she loved. The one she knew could make her feel better.

Time seemed to stand still as Jo ran down the street. All the people she passed seemed to be faceless, and the usual sounds that can be heard in a noisy city seemed to be absent. The only thing that Jo cared about was getting to Zane. She needed to see him again, she needed to be in his arms, and she needed to feel safe again. As Jo came up to Zane's door, she started pounding on the door desperate to get inside. It seemed to take forever for the doorknob to start turning, but once it did, Jo started to breathe again. There he was, there was her Zane, with the biggest smile on his face. Although his smile faded as soon as he saw the state, she was in. Jo had to admit she couldn't have looked her best right now. Her breathing was uneven and rough, her cheeks had to be red from crying.

"Zane," Jo cried as she ran into Zane's arms and buried her head into his chest.

"Jo what's going on, what's wrong?" Zane asked as he pulled her into the embrace trying to erase all her pain.

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Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter and I sorry it took me so long to write. The story I'm sorry to say is coming to a close, only one or two more chapters to go, but I hope you enjoyed reading it. I would like to thank Anime 300 and DaydreamerMagby for their reviews; I did edit the angry, anger thing in chapter 10. Please, everyone leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter and what you would like to see at the end of this story. Thanks for reading.

P.S. I also have started watching this really cool anime called Karin. (Some of the names I chose for this chapter came from this show.) It's about a girl vampire, but instead of drinking blood she makes blood, it's so funny. The opening is a little smutty, but the show isn't so don't get scared (I usually just fast-forward through the opening). It's not to popular yet, so if you're interested you can watch the complete series at veoh video network, a site a lot like youtube.


	12. Back to the salt mines

I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX

Back to the salt mines

Zane tightened his arms around Jo as she continued to burrow into his chest. After Jo had come to his door in complete distress, with no signs of letting up soon, Zane had lead her to the couch and taken her in his arms where she continued to cry. It had been a while since she had stopped crying, but she had yet to say anything and this worried Zane more than anything else did. At least the tears had been some sign of emotion, now Jo was just glazing off into space and did not show any sign of changing this action any time soon. Although Zane was greatly worried about what had pushed Jo into this state, he did not press the matter any farther. Jo would tell him what was bothering her when she was ready, he of anyone, knew how important it was for some people to keep things bottled up until they were ready to talk about them. Zane, however, could not help feeling somewhat peeved that fate had given him a girl that was exactly like him in this respect.

_How in the world did Atticus and the rest of my friends put up with this standoffish behavior from me,_ Zane thought to himself now that he was at the receiving end of this treatment. _She's in so much pain and I want to help her so much, but if I pressure her any I'll end up just pushing her away. Man how in the world do people put up with us!_

"Zane," Jo muttered calling him out of his thoughts and causing him to look at her.

Zane stared down at the girl who had come to mean so much to him. Her face was stained with the red streaks, courtesy of her tears, and had a look of distress and suffering on her face. Her eyes, however, were a complete paradox with the rest of her face. They sparkled with a certain kind of fire and longing he had never seen before, and sent a shiver through out his body.

"Jo, what's wron…," Zane began to ask but was cut off as Jo's lips meet his in a fiery, powerful kiss.

They had kissed before, but never like this. Their other kisses had been sweet and gentle, this was fierce and powerful, and had the possible hints of leading somewhere. Jo's hands had worked their way into Zane's hair, pushing his head deeper into the kiss, and, instead of sitting in his lap like before, she had picked herself up so she was straddling him. It wasn't long before Jo had pushed him down so his back was on the couch and she was fully on top of him. Zane couldn't help but caress her back as she nibbled his lip asking for entrance into his mouth, which he quickly granted her. Who would have thought that The Kaiser would ever let a girl take the lead?

Things only started to heat up more as Jo slowly moved her lips to the side of Zane's neck and started to leave her mark, causing him to moan ever so slight. But despite how much Zane was enjoying the physical part of this, another part of him knew he had to bring this to a stop before it went too far. She had been very upset before, and Zane knew if they went much further then this, they would both regret it later. Curse his mother for teaching him to never take advantage of a girl no matter what.

"Jo, Jo…mmm..Stop!" Zane shouted as he pushed Jo off so they were sitting on separate parts of the couch again. "We can't do that, not yet, and not when you're this upset," he panted as he looked into Jo's eyes and tried to catch his breath. "I don't know what's dismayed you so much, but what ever it is, this is not the way to fix it."

Anger flashed in Jo's eyes as she heard what Zane said and she started to shake again, but this time out of anger. In fact, in Zane opinion, it looked like she just might slap him. _Gosh, girls are confusing, _Zane thought,_ one minute they're crying, the next they're making out with you, and then when you try to be the nice guy they get mad at you._

"How dear you!" Jo spat as she stood up from the couch and glared angrily at Zane. "What just happened had absolutely nothing to do with why I was crying and I can't believe you would think it would. I did it because I wanted to and I never thought you would be the type to be put off by a woman making the first move."

"Don't play the 'women's movement' card Jo," Zane snapped back as he too rose from the couch. "I know for a fact that this is not how you would normal act. Something has wounded you so much that you're scared of ending up on your own again, and you're trying to use us to avoid those feelings."

"That's not true," Jo mumbled as tears started to form in her eyes again.

But it was true, that had been exactly what had been going through Jo's head. Ironically, meeting her dad for the first time, which should have caused Jo to feel very happy and loved, had left her feeling very scared and empty. Never having been really close to anyone, apart from her mother who was now gone, Jo had fled to the one person she thought could make her feel complete again. However, being with Zane hadn't caused the empty feeling to go away completely. It had helped fill it a little, which is why she had tried to get even closer to him, an idea she now regretted, however enjoyable it might have been. Meeting Zane had been like finding a missing piece of herself, now, however, it felt like she was missing a new piece. _Gosh why can't I just stay in one pieces_, Jo thought.

"It is true Jo," Zane said his voice dropping into that low almost monotone style of his that made his fan girl melt and other duelist quake, "and I want to know why. What happened to you?" Zane asked as he walked over to Jo and pulled her into a hug. "What hurt my sea salt so badly?"

"Mmgereegawww," Jo mumbled as she spoke into Zane's shoulder so her voice was very muffled, to upset to roll her eyes at Zane's anomalous pet name.

"What?" Zane asked as he stroked her hair.

"My father just showed up," Jo said again this time more clearly, while she stared into Zane's eyes.

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_Later that evening at the dueling dome……_

"Yeah it's time to get your game on," Jaden shouted as he slipped into pre-Jaden mood, right before the final match of the tag-team tournament between Syrus and him, and Zane and Jo. Right now, he and Syrus were in a private 'dressing room' waiting for the finale duel to take place.

"Yeah, get your game on," Syrus said less enthusiastically as he stared down at his shoes. For whatever reason Syrus just could not seem to become very excited about tonight's duel or shake off the strong feelings of worry and dread he had about his brother. He had purposely shown up an hour early so he could talk to his brother about what Jo had said the other night, Zane always showed up early for his duels, but he hadn't been able to find him. He had even gone to the manger's office to see if Zane or Jo had shown up yet, but when he got to her office, he heard her shouting on the phone and decided he would come back later. Her voice sound pretty horse, so Syrus assumed she had been shouting for a while. However, that had been an hour ago and Zane had yet to show up. He was really worried about Zane; it wasn't like his brother to not show up early for a duel.

"Don't worry Sy," Jaden said sensing his best friend's anxiety, "you'll be able to talk to Zane after we kick his butt in this duel."

"But Zane isn't even here yet and he always shows up early for duels," Syrus shouted concerned, "what if something happened to him. What if he ran into that jerk Tanner down in the underground and is laying dead somewhere in a ditch!"

"Chill Sy," Jaden sweat dropped, "you sound like my ma with all that 'laying dead in a ditch.' I sure Zane's fine. Who knows," Jaden laughed, "maybe Atticus's plan worked and he and Jo are making out on a couch somewhere."

"Oh come on Jaden, when do Atticus's plans ever work."

"Well with all the relationships Atticus tries to set up, he's bound to get one of them to work," Jaden said scratching his head. "Besides, nobody knows Zane better than Atticus, so he's probably the mostly likely one to actually fix Zane up with someone."

"Yes, nobody knows Zane better than Atticus, and that is the problem!" Syrus snapped. "I'm his brother, I should know him better than anyone else, or at least know a side of him that nobody else does, but I don't. I don't know anything about him, Jo was right I'm no better than a fan," Syrus finished his rant as his shoulders slumped.

Jaden was about to retort Syrus statement with commits about how despite how cold Zane's behavior was, he still cared about Syrus, when the manger, Anna, stormed in looking livid.

"Well you two can pack up your cards and get out of here, tonight's duel has been forfeited, _congratulations_ you two have won the tag-team tournament," Anna snapped as she continued to stomp around the room muttering something about 'stupid goths.'

"What no duel?!" Jaden asked, shocked at the idea of having a duel canceled.

"What do you mean _forfeited_?!" Syrus asked as a wave of panic ran through his body. Zane would never forfeit a duel, growing up Zane had always told Syrus that giving up on a duel before even trying was worse than losing. Something horrible must have happened for Zane to have not even show up.

"What I mean by forfeited, you little hobbit," Anna snapped turning on Syrus, "is that your punk brother and his little emo girlfriend have decide that their sad, pathetic, 'let's go cut ourselves' little lives are more important then this duel. After everything I've done for them, they don't even have the decency to show up for the most important duel of the tournament!!!!"

"If they didn't show up, then where are they," questioned Syrus, ignoring the 'hobbit' commit.

"How should I know," Anna braked as she walked out the door, "but considering how they found those bodies, those two underground duelists are probable at the police station if they missed out on the morgue."

The door slammed as Anna finished her tirade casting an eerie silence around the room.

_Morgue, bodies, _"Zane," Syrus shouted as he ran out the door desperate to find his brother and prove to himself that Zane was not dead.

"Wait Syrus," Jaden cried after him following him out of the door, "what's a morgue?"

But Jaden's words fell silent on Syrus's ears as he continued to race down the hallway. Images of Zane as Hell Kaiser kept flashing in his mind, but these slowly morphed into images of Zane as he was before this whole mess, and those images were followed by early memoirs of them together as young children.

Syrus kept replaying his first day of school. Determined to impress his cooler, older brother Syrus had opted not to have his mother walk him into his new classroom. However, upon enter the classroom and seeing all the new kids, the butterflies in Syrus's stomach had grown so much he had ended up throwing-up all over his uniform. He had been so upset that the teacher had to call Zane in, much to Syrus's embarrassment, to wait with him until their mother showed up. Zane, however, had been pretty and surprisingly understanding about the whole thing. He had even told Syrus about the time he had been so nerves about going to his first sleepover party, at Atticus's, that he had their mother sew his favorite stuffed bumblebee into his sleeping bag so no one would know about it.

Syrus had been so distracted by all his memoires that he did not even notice when he ran head first into Atticus and the rest of the gang.

"Syrus," Atticus asked as he helped the bulenett to his feet, "what's going on? It's all over the arena, that the duel has been forfeited. Zane would never forfeit a duel! Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Anna said something about bodies, police station, and something called a morgue," Jaden replied as he caught with the rest of the group.

"Morgue?" Alexis asked in a shaky voice. Images of Zane's pale body lying on a cold metal table instantly appeared in Alexis mind making her stomach tighten. _He can't be dead, _Alexis thought, _he's one of my brother's oldest friends, I've know him for almost my whole life. He just cannot be dead!_

"Yeah, I was not sure what that was either," Jaden said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"A morgue is where a duelist goes after they duel me, a morgue is the place a person goes when they can't duel any more," a cold, icy voice out to the group as a dark figure stride over to the group wearing a familiar dark coat. "Honestly, what kind of Nancy-Pansy doesn't know what a morgue is?

"TANNER," Syrus shouted recognizing the black trench coat Tanner was wearing as the one that symbolized his brother's alter ego Hell Kaiser, "What have you done to my brother!"

"Brother," Tanner mocked with a life laugh, "so that's why he was willing to give his blood for you. Pity, that such a great duelist like Hell Kaiser had to be held back by a little speck like you. But I guess I should thank you; after all, without you there wouldn't be a new king of the underground."

Tanner's words hit Syrus's like a brick. He wanted to snap back at him, to tell him he was not a speck and that he had never held Zane back, but he couldn't. Doubt pledged Syrus again, as he, thought about what Tanner was indicating. Two people now in the past 48 hours had told Syrus that in someway he had hurt Zane. First Jo and know Tanner. And what did Tanner mean by 'new king of the underground,' what had happened to his brother.

"What do you mean?" Chazz asked, the shock of hearing that Zane might actual be dead had shocked the rest of the group into a state of silence, all except for Jaden who was to stupid to figure out what was going on.

"You mean you all haven't heard," Tanner hissed as a sick smirk appeared on his face.

"Just tell us what you meant you bastard," Atticus shouted as anger filled his eyes, making clear to anyone why out of everyone else in the world he had been chosen to be Nightshroud. Atticus was normal a kind and easy going person, but when it came to the safety of his family and friends, especial Zane who he had know for as long as he could remember, he could became very aggressive and belligerent.

"Hmmmm," Tanner laughed as he folded his arms clearly loving every moment of holding power over him. "What I mean, you idiots, is that Hell Kaiser is dead and that little bitch of his is gone as well."

"_Hell Kaiser is dead, dead, dead,…little bitch gone, gone, gone…"_ the words Tanner had just spoken seemed to echo off the wall of Syrus mind. It just couldn't believe it. It could not be true, his brother could not be dead, he just couldn't be. This was Zane, The Zane Truesdale, the Kaiser of duel academy, he just couldn't be. It can't be true, it just can't be. Tanner had to be lying, he had to be.

"YOU'RE LYING," Syrus shouted as he pushed Tanner out of the way and started running out into the street headed to Zane's apartment, desperate to find some sort of evidence that Zane was still alive.

"Syrus wait up," Jaden called after his friend as he and the rest of the gang ran after him, but not before Atticus, pulled a very out of character stunt and punch Tanner strait in the nose.

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_Back to Zane and Jo_

"Your father," Zane asked shocked. Of all the things, that Jo could have said he had never excepted that.

"He just showed up at my door after all these years," Jo said as she turned and flopped down on the couch again. "Just out of the blue, he shows up. I waited for eighteen years and now he shows up. Turns out, he did not even know he had a daughter. He saw me on the news clip they did of us after the elevator."

"Some guy sees you on television and shows up at your door claiming to be your father," Zane asked both skeptical and concerned. The last thing he needed was some psycho stalking his girlfriend.

"I know it sounds like a typical soap opera cliché, add in the old photograph of him and my mother and you have the movie of the week," Jo sighed as she slumped even further down the couch.

"Old photograph?" Zane asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah," Jo replied, "Jack Maaka, that's his name, he had this old photo of him and my mother looking more than a little comfortable together and the rest of his story about being in the navy fits with the little my mother told be of him. He also kind of looks like me and he has the same color hair. I know it sounds crazy Zane, but something is telling me that this man is my father. Plus he did say we could do a DNA test."

"Then what's the problem Jo," Zane asked. "I mean I know a father showing up that you have never meet before can cause a whole bunch of emotions," he added when he saw the look Jo was giving him, "but you can get the DNA test and if it came's back positive you have a new father and if not then you never have to see this man again."

"Your ability to be blunt no matter what the situation continues to amaze me, Truesdale," Jo smiled as Zane came over and kissed her lightly on top of the head.

"So when do I get to meet this Jack Maaka," Zane asked as he set down next to her on the couch.

"That's the other part Zane," Jo said as she looked into his eyes, "he's in the navy and has to move to New York tonight."

"What," Zane asked as his mouth fell open. He couldn't lose Jo, not after all this. He couldn't face all his friends again without her, she couldn't leave now.

"But I'm not going to go," Jo decide as she saw the shock in Zane's eyes, "I mean my whole life is here, we have the tournament tonight, and I can't leave you," Jo said and as she did Zane pulled her into a tight hug.

_Thank goodness, she's staying, she staying, _Zane thought, and then as Jo spoke again his heart stopped.

"Unless you told me I could go," she said as she looked into his eyes.

"I…I, I," Zane started but he couldn't finish. How could he finish, she was asking him to let her go. _Is this how Dad felt when Mom told him she was going away to a different collage, _Zane thought. But as he thought of his father Zane remember all the pain he felt through out his life having never known him and he remembered the last letter he had read. His father had given up his career, whatever that had been Zane couldn't remember, to make his mother happy when he found out she was pregnant with him. His parent's entire relationship had been long distance, if they had made it work, then he and Jo could to. Besides his parents had only had letters, he and Jo had e-mail.

Zane lend in and kissed Jo deeply, before pulling her in so her head was resting under his chin. "Just promise me that when I drop you off at the airport you won't look back, it's time for you to stop being salt," he said reflecting off the story she had told him in the underground not to long ago.

"Oh Zane," Jo sighted as she leaded in and kissed him again.

"Come on I walk you back to your place and help you pack a few basic things, I'll send the rest of your stuff over later."

"But what about the contest, we are supposed to duel tonight?" Jo asked.

Zane just smiled as he pulled out his cell phone, dialed a number, and let a message. "Hello Anna, this is Zane. Just to let you know Jo and I won't be dueling tonight so you can just declare Jaden and Syrus the winners."

"Thank you so much Zane, I really don't know what to say."

"Just say you'll write to me every chance you get," Zane said as he and Jo went out the door and started walking to Jo's places. Unfortunately, when the got to the bottom of Zane's apartment the ran into a rather unpleasant guest going through the trashcan Zane had thrown his black trench coat in.

"Tanner," both Zane and Jo said as the glared at the man in front of them, Zane automatically stepping slightly in front of Jo.

"Well if it isn't Hell Kaiser and little Miss Hellfire," Tanner sneered as held up Zane's coat.

"Hell Kaiser's dead Tanner," Zane said as he stepped in closer to Tanner clearly showing him that his scare tactics didn't work.

"And Hellfire been cooled," Jo said stepping behind Zane so he still separated her from Tanner. Jo had always prided herself on never letting men push her around, but she wasn't stupid enough to stand up face to face with a guy who was twice her size.

"What?" Tanner asked shocked as he started at the former power couple of the underground.

"I've got a little brother, Tanner," Zane said as he and Jo walked past him, "and friends and a family. I don't need that place anymore, and Jo is headed out for a new life. If your want to be 'king of the underground' go right ahead. We wouldn't be in your way any longer."

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Well I hope you liked this chapter; there is only one more to go before it's over. I'm sorry it took so long to up-date but school had been so hectic. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think, if you are a little confused over Syrus reaction don't worry it will be explained more in the next chapter and will have a very sweet brother fluff moment. Well thanks for reading.


	13. And it all Ended with a Pearl Part One

I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX

And it all Ended With a Pearl Part One

"I said a few, _a few_ basic things Jo, how much stuff could you possible need? A toothbrush, comb, and a couple of changes of clothes, that's it. I mean I'm going to be sending all of your stuff first class express so it should get there pretty soon."

"A girl can't survive with only a toothbrush, comb, and a few outfits," snapped Jo as she finished zipping her sixth bag. "I also need my hairdryer, passport, make-up, and at least two more outfits and three more pairs of shoes."

"I'll give you're the passport, and I suppose I can let the hairdryer and make-up pass, but do you really need all these clothes," Zane asked as he prepared to make his second trip down to the taxi.

"I dress according to my mood," Jo replied as she continued to pack.

"Well I certainly hope Jack is prepared because it feels like your going to be awfully moody," Zane mumbled as he headed out the door.

"Very funny Truesdale," Jo called after his retreating head. "You'll miss me and my moody ways when I'm gone!"

"You better miss me you dig lug," she said quietly to herself as she picked up the bag she had finished packing.

_It's really funny,_ Jo thought as she gazed around her apartment, _just last week if someone had come up to me and told me that in just a few days I would be on my way to New York with my father I would have shocked them till they passed out. And let's not forget the boyfriend, who would have thought that Zane and I would make a good couple? Oh yeah, Atticus, _Jo sighed as she rolled her eyes.

A wave of mixed emotions swam over Jo as she looked at the furniture. It was weird leaving this place; so much of her life had been in this apartment. Under the rug in the living room was the nail polish stain from the first time she had painted her nails black, a huge milestone for a girl like Jo. A fruit stain from the times she had made smoothies could still been seen on the ceiling. The burn marks from the time she had knocked over the Hanukkah candles could be seen in the window. Religion had never been a big part in Jo's life. However, a Jewish couple in America had adopted her mom before she came back to her homeland for college, so where Jo had not been raised to keep kosher or go to temple, her mother had still raised her with some of the Jewish traditions, such as Hanukkah, having the Passover Seder, and keeping a mezuzah on the door. _That reminds me_, Jo thought as she peered into her bedroom, _I should call Zeyde and Bobeshi and tell them I'm coming to America._

"What are you thinking about there sea salt," Zane asked interrupting her thoughts, having returned from his trip to the taxi, as his arms wrapped around her from behind.

"Just contemplating why I'm not going to get my security deposit back," Jo sighed as she leaned back into his embrace.

"Yeah, you are kind of messy," Zane agreed.

"Mmm," Jo breathed.

"And clumsy."

"Mmm" Jo mumbled a little louder.

"And accident prone."

"Okay I think we get it," Jo barked a little annoyed.

"Wait I'm not finished," Zane smiled as he started to nibble and kiss Jo's neck causing her to giggle and twitch.

"And smart," kiss, "and funny," kiss, "and completely wonderful."

"Okay, okay, okay," Jo laughed as she squirmed trying to get Zane off her neck, "stop you're going to give me a hickey!"

"So," Zane said as he continued to try to kiss her neck, "you gave me one back on the couch, it's only fair."

"Yes," Jo said as she turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and softly kissed him on the lips, "but you don't have a parent to meet later today."

"Excuses," Zane complained as he rested his forehead on Jo's.

"Sorry tayer, but that's just the way it is," Jo said as she left his hold and headed towards the phone.

"Tayer?" Zane asked. "What does that mean?"

"It's Yiddish for beloved, adorable, dear, extra," Jo explained with a wave of her hand as she started dialing a phone number.

"You're Jewish?" Zane asked as he leaned against the wall next to the phone. "I didn't know that, I've never herd you uses Yiddish phrase before."

"I don't usually use Yiddish and I'm not very religious, but my mother's adopted parents are Jews so some of the traditions still stuck," Jo explained. "I haven't seen them in years and since they live in New York and my mom requested in her will that I be raised here, they weren't able to adopt me after she died. I end up going into foster care. Also, since they were my mother's parents, and I was still angry with her for dying, I did not keep in contact with them very well. Things were just tense and tetchy between us after mom, and neither of us knew how to med things. However, I'll be seeing a lot more of them now that I'm moving to America and I thought I would get back into the habit of using Yiddish. I'm calling them right now."

"Well it's good you'll have some family up there, besides your father I mean," Zane said somewhat relieved that Jo would have loved ones close by to help take care of her, even if they had not had the best relationship in the past. He had been really worried about Jo going off to a completely new country with a man she had just met, despite that he was possibly her father. He knew how hard it was to start a new life when you didn't have any friends or family close by, especially when the friends and family you did have forgot to call or write. Zane signed, wondering how different things would have been if he and Atticus had graduated together and gotten an apartment together like they always planed. Social butterfly Atticus never would have let him wander into the underground or allowed Zane to feel the need to go to the underground. If Atticus had been there, he would have seen how much Zane had needed somebody instead of just assuming he would be all right. Although considering how distant he had always been, Zane was not sure how much he could blame them. He was still unsure about how he was going to reconnect with his friends and his brother, or, even if he would reconnect with them. There were still a lot of unspoken issues between all of them. He guessed he should be happy that his friends were still willing to rekindle with him after how horrible he had been to them, but at the same time, he could not help but think they still did not really understand his feelings. Jo understood him though, and Zane was not going to let a little thing like 'the other side of the world' keep them apart.

"Yes, I would like to place a call to America please, 8675 Timber Dr. Apartment 3-D New York City a Mr. and Mrs. Tannin. Yes I'll hold thank you," Jo said to the operator.

Zane smiled as he watched Jo tap her foot as she waited to speak to her grandparents, and wondered how they would react to their granddaughter's story.

"Hey Zeyde it's Jozette…..Yes I know it's been along time, sorry to worry you….I love you to….Actual I'm coming to America tonight…..Well that's kind of a long story," Jo laughed nervously as she started to tell her grandfather about Jack and about Zane.

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_Back to Syrus…_

"HONK, HONK, HONK….GET OUT OF THE STREET YOU CRAZY KID!" A trucker called out to Syrus as he darted out into the street. The trucker's words however fell on deaf ears, as the only thing Syrus cared about now was getting to his brothers apartment.

_You can't be gone big brother, you just can't be, _Syrus thought to himself as he continued to run down the street, ignoring his friends protest to slow down and wait up. He couldn't slow down now, he needed to get to Zane's apartment, he needed to see Zane one more time, he needed his brother to be alive.

Questions kept dashing through Syrus's mind as he continued to dart down the street towards his brother's apartment. What did Anna mean when she mentioned 'bodies'? Had there been some sort of accident in the underground? Why did Tanner have Zane's jacket? What had Tanner meant when he said Hell Kaiser was dead and Jo was gone? Could Tanner have meant that Hell Kaiser had been defeated in a duel, however unlikely that possibility was, or was Zane really lying dead somewhere?

_He can't be dead…__He just can't be_, Syrus shouted to himself as he finally reached the front of Zane's apartment building and thrust open the door and started up the stairs. _I'll get to the top of these stairs and make it to Zane's door, _Syrus thought to himself as he started to clime the stairs slowing his pace and taking the stair one at a time. This was the defining moment, when he reached the top of these steps he would have the answer about his brother's fate. Syrus could hear the artificial clock of destiny tick and merge with the bonding of his heart as he took step after step up the winding staircase getting closer and closer to his brother's door. The finally tick, and the loudest one so far, seemed to fade off into a devastating silence as Syrus came to stand in front of his brother's door, but for some reason he could not bring himself to open the door. As long as that door stayed closed then he could pretend that none of this was real, but as soon as he opened that door, he would have to deal with the facts that lay hidden behind it, what ever they may be.

"Syrus," Atticus panted as he and the rest of the gang finally caught up with him. "Didn't," pant "you" pant "hear us" pant "calling you?"

"This is Zane's apartment," Syrus said not bothering to answer Atticus's question. "The door will be unlocked; Zane can never remember to lock the door. Mom always said it would be the death of him."

The rest of the gang grew silent as the weight of Syrus's words hit them, behind this door may be the answers to their questions surrendering Zane's absence.

"I'm sure his alright," Chazz committed trying desperately to sound confident. "I mean he's Zane after all, nothing can hurt him."

"Maybe it's that kind of thinking that got us into this problem to begin with," Atticus said as he slowly pushed open the door and strolled into the apartment.

The apartment was rather bright compared to the dark personality of the duelist in question. Many big burgundy rugs covered the cherry oak wooden floors at odd places, and contemporary black and white photographs covered the navy blue walls. A matching set of dark blue chairs and a futon were in the middle of the room facing an entertainment center, and a big old fashion bookcase was pushed up against the sidewall. Playing on the television, which had been left on, was a news story about the gas pump that exploded near 666 Bloodlust Lane.

"Well that explains what Anna was talking about," Bastion said as he turned off the television. "Gas expulsions can be very destructive."

"Zane," Atticus called out his voice slightly cracking as he stepped into the apartment and started searching the apartment with the rest of the gang following, "are you here? When you didn't show up for your duel we became worried…." But Atticus voice faded off it the void as he stepped into the kitchen. Pots and pans had been tossed along the floor including one near the counter that had mixed vegetables slipping out on to the floor. Near the fallen vegetables also laid a knife and a trail of red liquid that lead from the knife to the sink. "Oh my gosh, Zane!" Atticus screamed as he came further into the kitchen and picked up the knife.

"Atticus what is…" Alexis asked as she and the rest of the gang came rushing in following Atticus shouts but her voice faded off as she and the others saw the same scene that her brother had.

"Alright let's not panic," Bastion, said trying to be the voice of reason in what was obviously going to become an alarming situation. "This could just be a cooking accident for all we know."

"A cooking accident," Chazz screamed, "what are you crazy! There's blood everywhere and for all we know Zane could have been killed it that gas explosion or kidnapped or abducted by aliens for all we know!"

"We can't be curtain about anything and rushing to conclusion isn't going to help anyone," Bastion reasoned. "Now what we need to do is remain calm and consider all possible solutions. Now some of us need to head over to the police station because if Zane was at the underground at the time of the explosion then he might have been taken down there for questioning about the incident. The rest of us should head down to the hospital in case this really is just a cooking accident or in case Zane really was kil…Ommm…hurt during the explosion."

"Alright," Alexis said, as she pulled up Atticus who had grown quite just staring at the knife. "Atticus, Chazz, and I will head down to the hospital. Our dad is a really well know surgeon, so the name 'Rhodes' might make things easier. The rest of you head…."

BAM the sound of a body hitting the floor interrupted her directions.

"Syrus," Jaden called hurrying over to his fallen friend and leaning him up in his arms.

"He's okay," Hassleberry reassured as his also leaded down near the fallen duelist and took his pulse. "He just fainted; the emotional stress must have just been too much for him."

"Jaden," Bastion said once again taking control, "you stay here and take care of Syrus, and the rest of us will go ahead with the plan. We'll use our PDA's to keep in touch and keep each other up to date on any know information."

"Right," the others agreed as they got up, exited the kitchen, and headed out the door leaving Jaden to care for Syrus.

"It's okay Syrus," Jaden said as slowly picked up his friend and carried him to the futon in the living room, "I'm sure everything will workout."

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"Excuse me, but do you have a ticket to New York for Jo Tannin," Jo asked the attendant behind the counter at the airport as Zane paid the cab driver and found a cart to carry all the luggage.

"Let me see," the woman said as she fettled with her computer. "That's Tannin with two n's."

"Yes, Jozette Tannin. J-o-z-e-t-t-e T-a-n-n –i –n," Jo replied as she spelled out her name.

"Aaa, here we are. Ticket F45 for Jo Tannin one-way to New York, New York," the attendant recited as she printed out the ticket. "Have a nice flight Ms. Tannin."

"Yes, thank you," Jo sighed as she took the ticket in her hand. _This is it_, she thought, _it is really happening now._ _I am going to start a new life with my-Wow- father in New York, the Big Apple. It's a whole new life for me._

"Got your ticket," Zane asked as he pushed up the trolley holding Jo's bag.

"Yeah," Jo piped her voice slightly cracking as she held up her ticket, "it's right here."

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Zane said as he came up and gave her a slight kiss as he pushed her hair back. "You'll see," he said leaning his nose against hers.

"It's just all happening so fast," Jo sighted again. "First we both start working on our parent issues, then we start this couple thing, and then my long lost father shows up and wants me to move to New York with him. I'm thinking of selling the rights to some soap opera."

"As long as I'm not played by some Fabio want-to-be that's okay with me," Zane laughed as he kissed her again.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Jo whispered as he leaned against Zane's chest in his arms.

"Hey don't you worry," Zane murmured as he lifted Jo's chin so her eyes met his. "We'll call, write, e-mail, and you can come back here for Christmas and then we can enjoy New Years at Time Square."

"Why is it that your plan only has us seeing each other in December?"

"I was born in December, so I've always been found of that month," Zane replied with a smirk.

"Well, I suppose it will be fun trying to keep you warm during those cold December days," Jo responded with her own smirk as she pulled Zane closer to her and lead in to kiss him once more.

"Why, Ms. Tannin are you trying to seduce me?"

"Always," Jo replied as their lips met in a long deep kiss. And had it not been for the annoying ringing of Zane's cell phone it probably would have continued for a few more minutes.

"I swear, I'm starting to heat this thing," Zane growled as he answered his cell phone.

"Hello,….Wow Ziggy slow down….WHAT! What do you mean you're in jail?" Zane shouted back into the phone.

Ziggy Aston was the first of Shrouds underground recruits, and had shown both Zane and Jo the ways of the underground when they had first started out. He had actual been in the audience during the duels that had 'turned' them. Although he had been the first of Shrouds drafts and had the most experience in the underground, he had rather been the least noticeable of the three. He was an extraordinary duelist, he defeated Jo, although not easily and nearly beat Zane, but he didn't have the same flare and fervor that had made Zane and Jo stand out among the dark duelist. His personality was something of a cross between Atticus and Jaden, although he did have his serious moments.

"Ziggy's in jail," Jo screamed as she tried to stanch the phone.

"Hold on Ziggy I'll be there in a minute," Zane said as he tried to swat Jo's hands away as he closed his phone.

"Well, what's going on? Why is Ziggy in jail?" Jo demanded.

"There was a gas explosion down in the underground. The whole arena has been destroyed. A few people have been taken to the hospital and the police are holding everyone else because they think an underground duelist may be responsible. He needs me to bail him out."

"He'll need a place to stay to," Jo sighed. "He lived down in the underground; he doesn't even have an apartment."

"I guess he'll just have to stay with me," Zane signed as he put his phone away. "I just can't believe I have to say goodbye already, I wanted to wait until your plane left."

"It's okay Zane," Jo sighted as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Besides, with airport security nowadays, I'm not sure how far you could have gotten without a ticket. Go take care of Ziggy and tell him goodbye for me."

"I love you Jo," Zane murmured as he kissed her again. "Be brave okay, it's time you stopped being salt."

"I love you too, Zane," Jo said as a few tears fell from her eyes as the man she loved gradually pulled away.

Slowly the couple parted, each turning to go their own separate ways, but knowing in their hearts that they would never really part.

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Sorry it took so long to up-date, school has been heretic. This was supposed to be the last chapter but it became so long that I decided to split it between two chapters. Therefore, the question remains what happened to Zane between saying goodbye to Jo at the airport and the gang finding blood in his apartment. All will be explained in the next chapter, so don't worry. Well thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review.


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